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

Hong Qigong changed the subject and said, "But that's not enough. Those old foxes can call each other brothers when they're eating meat, but once the meat is gone, or when they see an even bigger piece of meat, they'll probably start fighting amongst themselves."

Chen Yanzhou smiled slightly as he looked at Hong Qigong's eager expression.

"Master, you've heard of 'sticking together for warmth,' but have you heard of 'shared hatred against a common enemy'?"

Lu Youjiao, who was listening intently, subconsciously chimed in: "Of course we understand the concept of shared hatred against a common enemy; that's for dealing with foreign enemies."

"That's right." Chen Yanzhou shifted to a more comfortable position and leaned back in his chair. "Interests can make them sit at the same table and share the spoils, but to truly get them to put aside their prejudices, we need to find them a common enemy. When the external pressure to survive is great enough that if they don't join forces, they will all die together, then the internal squabbles over tattered clothes will naturally have to give way to survival."

Hong Qigong frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "You mean, the Golden Dog?"

"The Jurchens are a formidable enemy, but they are too far away. However, they can be one point among many." Chen Yanzhou nodded. "What we need to find are the kind of enemies that are imminent and can directly take away their livelihoods. For example, those powerful escort agencies that are entrenched in various places, those local tyrants who can't stand seeing our Beggars' Sect grow bigger, or even... those corrupt officials who want to reach into our 'Righteousness Movement' to make money."

"We need to keep sending a signal to both factions that the wolves outside are eyeing our piece of meat. If the Clean Clothes Faction doesn't rely on the Dirty Clothes Faction's military protection, their business will be robbed and their wealth confiscated. If the Dirty Clothes Faction doesn't rely on the Clean Clothes Faction's business acumen, they will return to being starving stray dogs. We need to make them feel that although the other side is annoying, they really would die without it."

"Create a hypothetical enemy, or guide them to face a real threat," Chen Yanzhou added. "When they have to fight tooth and nail against outsiders to keep their money and jobs, won't that forge a bond?"

Hong Qigong nodded repeatedly as he listened.

"What a fine display of shared hatred! What else? Tell me, what other dirty tricks... no, good tricks, bring them all out at once."

Chen Yanzhou's smile vanished suddenly, and he slumped back onto the table like a deflated balloon.

"That's all," Chen Yanzhou said in a muffled voice.

Hong Qigong was stunned, almost dropping the wine gourd in his hand: "Gone? It's all gone?"

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"That's all." Chen Yanzhou yawned, tears welling up in his eyes. "These are all I could think of. Master, do you think I'm a god? From Xiangyang to Junshan, my butt is practically worn out from all that travel. To come up with these two plans is already an extraordinary feat."

Hong Qigong, somewhat unwilling to give up, pressed on, "Think about it again. While that scheme of binding interests together was good, it's ultimately just a temporary measure. The fundamental conflict between the two factions lies in their differing ideologies. Your method might temporarily unite them, but it doesn't fundamentally resolve their mutual dislike. What if business stabilizes one day and the external enemies disappear? Won't they still cause trouble?"

Chen Yanzhou listened to Hong Qigong's incessant chatter and was speechless.

He suddenly sat up straight, and before Hong Qigong could react, he reached out his little hand and vigorously rubbed his messy, greasy head, making his already tangled hair look like a bird's nest.

"Old man, wake up!" Chen Yanzhou rolled his eyes, his tone full of helplessness. "I'm only nine years old! Ten years old by the Chinese age reckoning! You expect a nine-year-old to help you completely resolve gang conflicts that have been brewing for decades? Don't you think that's a bit too much to ask?"

Hong Qigong was stunned by the rubbing, his once imposing face now filled with blankness.

Lu Youjiao, standing to the side, was also dumbfounded.

Chen Yanzhou ignored all that. He withdrew his hand, pointed at Hong Qigong and Lu Youjiao's noses, and said angrily, "You old hands, you've all lived most of your lives, spent more time in the Beggars' Sect than I've eaten salt. You haven't come up with a solution in all these years, and now you're relying on a kid like me? Don't you think you should reflect on that?"

"Who is the leader? Who is the elder?" Chen Yanzhou complained as he jumped off the stool and went straight to the bedside. "I'm tired. I want to sleep. You two, take your time to reflect on your actions. Don't disturb my growth."

After saying that, Chen Yanzhou ignored the two people's reactions, kicked off his shoes, lay down on the bed, and pulled the blanket over his head.

Inside, there was a deathly silence.

Hong Qigong remained motionless in the position of having his head rubbed, like a comical statue.

Lu Youjiao was completely numb. He looked at the sleeping figure on the bed, then at his gang leader, opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't utter a single word.

After a long while, Hong Qigong slowly raised his hand and touched his disheveled hair. He turned his head to look at Lu Youjiao, his eyes filled with confusion and self-doubt.

"It has legs," Hong Qigong said quietly.

"Your subordinate is here." Lu Youjiao's voice was somewhat weak.

"You...saw it just now, didn't you?"

"I saw it."

"He rubbed my head?"

"……yes."

"He even lectured us, making us reflect on our actions?"

"...That seems to be the case."

Hong Qigong put down his hand, looked at the bed where the person was sleeping soundly, and suddenly felt that the world was a bit absurd.

He, the dignified Nine-Fingered Beggar, was actually scolded by a nine-year-old disciple? And what's even more infuriating is that he actually thought the brat's words made a lot of sense.

It has feet.

"Please give your orders, Boss."

"You tell me..." Hong Qigong pointed to himself, then to Chen Yanzhou, "Who is whose master? I feel like I've brought back a patriarch, not a disciple?"

Lu Youjiao's lips twitched; he wanted to laugh but dared not, his old face turning red from holding it in.

"Master, Yan Zhou... is indeed exceptionally talented, no ordinary person."

"Nonsense, do you think my judgment is bad?" Hong Qigong glared at him irritably.

Lu Youjiao looked at his gang leader's bewildered expression and tried to suppress his laughter until his stomach hurt.

"Master, then... I'll take my leave now?"

"Get out, get out, get out!" Hong Qigong waved his hand impatiently. "Go tell the brothers that we'll have a gang meeting tomorrow morning at the summit of Junshan Mountain."

Lu Youjiao responded, suppressing a laugh as he left, closing the door behind him.

The room immediately fell silent.

Hong Qigong stood by the bed, looking at Chen Yanzhou, who was sprawled out and sleeping in a completely unseemly manner, and he couldn't shake off the feeling of frustration in his heart.

He, the dignified Beggar of the North, one of the Five Greats, is respected wherever he goes. But today, he's being lectured like a grandson by a little brat who's not even as tall as the stove.

"You brat, you've got some nerve."

Hong Qigong cursed under his breath, raised his foot, and gave that round, plump buttocks a light kick.

"Move over there! Don't you understand respect for your teachers? I paid for this bed!"

Chen Yanzhou didn't say anything, but his body honestly shrank back against the wall.

Hong Qigong then plopped down, took off his greasy, tattered robe, and crawled into bed.

That night, the once-powerful gang leader couldn't sleep.

He rested his head on his arm, staring at the roof beam, his mind filled with the words Chen Yanzhou had just uttered.

"A symbiotic relationship based on intertwined interests"...

Hong Qigong lived a carefree life, but he wasn't stupid.

He knew what kind of life the Dirty Clothes Faction brothers lived, and he also knew what the Clean Clothes Faction people were plotting.

He used to think he could suppress others with his prestige and try to smooth things over, but that might work for a while, but not forever.

"That kid is right, nobody wants to beg on their knees."

Hong Qigong sighed and turned his head to look at Chen Yanzhou, who was sleeping soundly.

"If I can really let my brothers earn money with dignity, then I'll have done my job as gang leader fairly."

As he pondered, drowsiness overcame him, and Hong Qigong let out a huge yawn and fell into a deep sleep.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

The mist still lingered at the summit of Junshan Mountain.

A cool breeze from Dongting Lake rustles through the green bamboo covering the mountains.

The usually tranquil Junshan Mountain was now teeming with people.

The mountains and fields were full of beggars, their tattered clothes fluttering in the morning breeze.

The disciples of the Dirty Clothes Faction gathered on the left, each holding a dog-beating stick, their eyes resolute yet revealing a hint of malnutrition. The disciples of the Clean Clothes Faction gathered on the right, dressed impeccably, their expressions carrying a touch of arrogance.

In the middle was a huge open space, with a few bluestones piled up to form a simple platform.

Elder Jian, Elder Peng, Elder Liang, and Lu Youjiao sat in four different directions, the atmosphere heavy.

"The gang leader has arrived!"

With a loud shout, two figures walked slowly down the mountain path.

Hong Qigong was still as disheveled as ever, holding a half-eaten chicken wing in his hand.

Chen Yanzhou was following behind him.

"Greetings, Boss!"

Thousands of elite members of the Beggars' Sect shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Hong Qigong leaped and landed lightly on the high platform, casually tossing the chicken bones aside.

Hong Qigong waved his hand, his gaze sweeping across the entire area. In that instant, the once noisy mountaintop became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"I've gathered everyone here today for one thing."

Hong Qigong paused, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Our Beggars' Sect needs to change its way of life."

These words immediately caused a stir among the audience.

Elder Jian and Elder Peng exchanged a glance, their brows furrowed.

"Chief," Elder Jian stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, "What does 'changing one's way of life' mean?"

"Therefore, I have decided that from today onwards, the business of this 'Yiyun' will be promoted in all its branches across the country."

Hong Qigong slapped his thigh and set the tone.

Over the past month, the events at the Xiangyang branch have been widely discussed within the Beggars' Sect, as the mission still needs to be passed on to many brothers from various branches.

There's no one in the Beggars' Sect who doesn't know it.

"Chief!" Elder Peng said in a sinister tone, "This business may be good, but we're beggars. If word gets out that we're working as laborers for merchants and competing with security escort agencies for our livelihood, what will the martial arts world think of us? Where will our patriarch's face be?"

"face?"

Hong Qigong sneered and pointed at a skinny, bony disciple of the Dirty Clothes Sect below the stage.

"Ask him whether his pride is more important, or his child who's starving to death at home?"

Elder Peng was speechless.

"Besides, who told you this was hard labor?"

Following the words Chen Yanzhou had taught him the night before, Hong Qigong cleared his throat.

"This is called a 'business alliance'! Our Beggars' Sect has manpower and intelligence, which is our greatest asset. From now on, we'll not only run the 'Righteousness Agency' ourselves, but also bring others along to do it."

In the next half hour, Hong Qigong presented Chen Yanzhou's "bonding of interests" plan.

"The brothers of the Dirty Clothes Faction contribute their time and effort, earning their money through hard work. The more they do, the more they earn. Isn't that better than begging?"

"Brothers of the Clean Clothes Faction, you have money and shops, you can invest! You'll get a share of the profits at the end of the year. The more you invest, the more you get."

Upon hearing the words "profit sharing," Elder Jian and Elder Peng's eyes immediately lit up.

Although they have some businesses over the years, most of them are small-scale operations.

If we could get on board the Beggars' Sect's big ship and monopolize the Song Dynasty's logistics and transportation, the profits would be... simply unimaginable!

"But Chief..." Elder Liang scratched his head, "If they all make this money, won't our Dirty Clothes Sect still suffer a loss?"

"What's the big deal?"

Hong Qigong glared at him. "Without their investment in repairing warehouses and buying carriages, how would you have transported the goods? Without them dealing with those corrupt officials, you would have been detained before even leaving the city!"

The murmurs from the audience gradually subsided, replaced by an unprecedented sense of reflection.

The clean-clothes faction is doing the math, while the dirty-clothes faction is dreaming.

Chen Yanzhou stood behind Hong Qigong, watching the changes in the expressions of the group below, and nodded to himself.

Self-interest is indeed the sharpest weapon in the world.

"However, let me make this clear from the start."

Hong Qigong's voice suddenly turned cold, and he slammed his dog-beating stick heavily into the ground.

"This business belongs to everyone. Anyone who dares to line their own pockets or cause internal strife for petty gains, ruining the brothers' livelihoods..."

He glanced around, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"This stick of mine doesn't care which faction you belong to!"

Jian and Peng were startled and quickly bowed their heads in agreement.

"Finally, let me say something from the bottom of my heart."

Hong Qigong sighed and looked into the distance.

"You think our Beggars' Sect is so powerful now? The biggest sect in the world?"

"fart!"

"That's because the Jin dogs haven't attacked yet! Those corrupt officials haven't driven us to a dead end!"

"Look at the state of the world outside! The Jurchen cavalry are eyeing us covetously in the north, and those officials in the court are only concerned with lining their own pockets. When disaster strikes, what will you be arguing about whether to wear dirty or clean clothes?"

"When the Jurchen horses trample over you, whether your clothes are dirty or clean, you'll all be corpses!"

Hong Qigong spoke these words with great passion and fervor, and the thousands of disciples below the stage all lowered their heads in shame.

"So, we need money! We need people!"

"Only when we unite as one, hold money in our hands, and carry weapons at our waists, will no one in this world dare to bully us!"

"For the Beggars' Sect, for the Song Dynasty, for our own future!"

"Are you going to participate in this 'charitable movement'?"

"Dry!"

Thousands of disciples shouted in unison, their voices soaring into the sky and causing ripples to spread across the waters of Dongting Lake.

Chen Yanzhou watched this scene with a slight smile on his lips.

"Old man, you're right."

Chen Yanzhou leaned close to Hong Qigong's ear and whispered something.

Hong Qigong glanced at him sideways, a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth, but he gave a snort in a deliberately serious manner.

"Nonsense, who am I? I'm the gang leader!"

……

After the conference ended, the leaders from various regions received the specific charter and hurriedly returned to their posts.

Although Elder Jian and Elder Peng still had their own ulterior motives, under the enormous temptation of profit and the pressure from Hong Qigong, they had no choice but to begin cooperating with Lu Youjiao in the preparations.

Elder Liang, along with the elites of the Dirty Clothes Faction, began discussing the escort route and security measures.

The Beggars' Sect, which was originally divided, showed an unprecedented vitality in just one day.

Chen Yanzhou sat on a crooked tree on Junshan Mountain, swinging his legs, looking at the busy scene in the distance, but his mind was on something else.

"I haven't finished memorizing the 'Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases' that Doctor Liao gave me yet..."

"I still have to practice my skills, make money, and keep an eye on that old sly Elder Peng."

He let out a long sigh.

"Being a corporate slave in the Song Dynasty was even harder than in modern times."

Just then, Hong Qigong's voice came from under the tree.

"Hey brat, what are you sighing about? Get down here right now! Lu Youjiao caught some plump Dongting silverfish, and if you're late, there won't be any left for you!"

Chen Yanzhou's eyes lit up, and he jumped down from the tree.

"They're here! Save me two of the big ones!"

Screw the corporate slaves, let's eat fish first.