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

Before long, Hong Qigong and Chen Yanzhou slumped down on the large blue stone without any regard for their image, picking at their mouths with the pitifully thin toothpicks in their hands, occasionally letting out a few satisfied burps.

Wangcai, nestled in Chen Yanzhou's arms, seemed to have had enough of the smell. It nestled comfortably in his embrace and fell into a deep sleep, a trace of drool still clinging to the corner of its mouth.

"Are you full?" Hong Qigong glanced sideways at his disciple who was wiping his mouth.

"Seven-tenths full." Chen Yanzhou wiped his oily hands on the grass. "Master, if you opened a restaurant in Lin'an Prefecture with your skills, the chefs in the imperial kitchen would probably all be out of a job."

Stop flattering me.

Hong Qigong snorted and casually flicked the wooden toothpick into the fire, sending up a few sparks.

Immediately afterwards, he handed the dog-beating stick to Chen Yanzhou.

Chen Yanzhou was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened suddenly. He looked at Hong Qigong and said with delight, "Master, are you... planning to step down and hand over the reins to a more capable person?"

Happiness came too suddenly.

Although he was only twelve years old, if he held this staff, wouldn't the hundreds of thousands of Beggar Clan disciples, plus the Righteousness Bureau which was at its zenith, be in his grasp?

Chen Yanzhou grew increasingly excited as he thought about it, his back straightening unconsciously. He said solemnly, "Master, rest assured, although I am young, I will do my utmost to lead the Beggars' Sect to greater heights and create new glories! Whether it's the Jurchens or the imperial court..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Hong Qigong, looking at him like he was a fool, impatiently interrupted his boastful words, "What are you dreaming of? The old beggar isn't even dead yet, and you're already in such a hurry to seize power?"

Chen Yanzhou was taken aback, his enthusiasm suddenly dampened: "Then why are you giving me this thing?"

"I'm going north to gather military intelligence, not to die."

Hong Qigong stood up and said irritably, "The North is dangerous. The Jurchen cavalry are eyeing us covetously, and the Iron Palm Clan is causing trouble there. This trip may not end anytime soon."

At this point, he turned to look at Chen Yanzhou: "While I'm away, the gang must not be in disarray. Although Youjiao is loyal and steady in his work, in terms of prestige, he ultimately cannot suppress the old foxes of the Clean Clothes faction, such as Jian Dongshan and Elder Peng."

Chen Yanzhou understood.

This is to make himself the "mountain-guarding deity".

Hong Qigong pointed to the green bamboo staff in his hand: "Take this staff; seeing it is like seeing me. From today onwards, you are the acting leader of the Beggars' Sect. If those old guys dare to cause trouble in the business of the Righteous Transport Bureau, or cause internal strife within the sect, you should give them a good talking-to."

"As long as you're in the right, beat them to death. If anything goes wrong, your master will cover for you."

Chen Yanzhou looked down at the stick in his hand, and his excitement instantly dissipated by more than half.

So it's not about passing the throne, but about making myself a laborer.

She has to manage the business of the Yiyun Division, practice martial arts, and now she also has to help Lu Youjiao keep order. Not only does she not get paid, but she might also have to take the blame.

"oh."

Chen Yanzhou responded listlessly, casually tucking the dog-beating stick into his belt like a scallion stuck in it. "Got it. Acting gang leader, you know, the kind who does the work but doesn't get paid."

The vein on Hong Qigong's forehead throbbed.

"oh?"

Hong Qigong glared, his beard bristling. "What kind of attitude is this, brat? This is the Dog-Beating Stick! A priceless treasure that countless heroes of the martial world would kill for, and you're treating it like a fire poker?"

Chen Yanzhou pouted, "Master, that's not reasonable. This stick is a hot potato. If you leave, those elders will definitely be watching me. I'm busy every day, and I still have to look after your house..."

"Are you hoping that the old beggar dies in the north and never comes back, so you can just drop the 'substitute' part?" Hong Qigong scolded irritably.

"That's impossible!"

Chen Yanzhou immediately put on a playful smile and went over to give Hong Qigong a shoulder massage. "Master, your martial arts are unparalleled, the best in the world. The Jin Kingdom and the Iron Palm Clan are nothing to you, aren't they? I'm just worried about you. The journey is long, and there won't be any good food for you..."

Don't give me that.

Hong Qigong shook off his hand, cursing as he did so, but a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes.

Although this apprentice is cunning and rarely speaks seriously, he is reliable and kind-hearted. Only by entrusting the Beggars' Sect to him and Lu Youjiao can I truly feel at ease venturing into the north.

"Alright, stop pretending."

Hong Qigong straightened his clothes and glanced at Chen Yanzhou.

"Remember, don't be lazy when practicing. Especially the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, it's powerful but lacks staying power. Think about the phrase 'more than enough' more than enough."

"Also, don't just focus on making money. What if the Jurchens bully the people..."

"If we can win, we fight; if we can't, we call in reinforcements. No hesitation." Chen Yanzhou replied quickly.

Hong Qigong was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Good! That's the old beggar's apprentice!"

Before the laughter subsided, Hong Qigong lightly touched the ground with his toes.

Without any warning, his figure soared into the air like a large bird, instantly sweeping across the river surface, which was several meters wide.

Stepping on the reeds is like walking on flat ground.

In the blink of an eye, the gray figure disappeared into the vast night, leaving only a bold voice echoing on the river.

"Go back! Take good care of that dog!"

Chen Yanzhou stood by the river, looking in the direction where Hong Qigong had disappeared, cursing under his breath.

"Old man, you certainly left in style."

……

The river breeze, carrying lingering ash, brushed against Chen Yanzhou's face, along with the still-lingering aroma of meat.

The fire had long since died out, leaving only a few pieces of charcoal that had burned white, occasionally sparking in the night.

Chen Yanzhou glanced down at "Wangcai" in his arms.

The little thing just lost its second brother, but now it's quite carefree, squeezing into a comfortable nest in his arms and snoring loudly.

Its black fur was like a lump of charcoal, except for its four paws which were strikingly white, making it look like a lump of coal that had just walked through the snow.

"You've got a real nerve," Chen Yanzhou muttered, flicking the dog's forehead. "Your second brother's body's barely cold, and you can already sleep? It's only because you ran into me; anyone else would have been wiped out tonight."

Wangcai grunted and shrank further into his clothes, completely ignoring his cheap master.

Chen Yanzhou sighed, got up, and patted the bits of grass off his bottom.

"Alright, acting leader, you're still a leader."

Chen Yanzhou touched his nose and, taking advantage of the moonlight, walked unsteadily towards Xiangyang City.

When we returned to the branch headquarters, the moon was already high in the sky.

The courtyard was quiet, with only the old, bare locust tree swaying in the wind.

The lights in the council chamber were still on, and a figure pacing back and forth was reflected in the window paper, as restless as an ant on a hot pan.

Chen Yanzhou pushed open the door and went in.

Hearing the noise, Lu Youjiao turned around and saw that only Chen Yanzhou had entered, along with half of a dog's head peeking out from his arms.

Lu Youjiao looked behind Chen Yanzhou; the courtyard was empty, not a soul in sight.

"The gang leader..."

"He's gone." Chen Yanzhou put Wangcai on a chair next to him, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and gulped it down. "He flew away, we couldn't stop him. He said he was going to take a stroll in the north and see what kind of mischief those bastards in the Jin Kingdom were up to."

Lu Youjiao sighed heavily and plopped down in his chair, his usually dignified face now filled with bitterness.

"This departure may be a one-way trip. The gang leader is living a carefree life, but I'm suffering. Elder Jian and Elder Peng have been keeping an eye on the accounts of the Righteousness Department these past few days. If they find out that the gang leader is not here, they're likely to cause trouble again."

Chen Yanzhou put down his teacup, didn't reply, but just looked at Lu Youjiao with a half-smile.

"Grandpa Lu, is there something troubling you?"

"How can I not worry?" Lu Youjiao glared at him. "You have no idea how troublesome those Clean Clothes Faction members are. Before, with the gang leader keeping them in check, they didn't dare to cause trouble. Now that the gang leader is away on a long trip, it's just the two of us left in the gang. My position as an elder doesn't carry much weight in their eyes."

"Do you think this portion is enough?"

As Chen Yanzhou spoke, he pulled out a bright green bamboo stick from his lower back.

Lu Youjiao glanced at it casually, not paying attention at first, but when his eyes fell on the bamboo stick, which was entirely green and had a faint jade-like luster, he jumped up from his chair.

"This...this is..."

Chen Yanzhou chuckled and began to speak.

"I'm the acting gang leader now. With me backing you up, who dares to act recklessly?"

Lu Youjiao stared with his mouth agape, unsure of what to say.

Chen Yanzhou patted him on the shoulder and laughed.

"Alright, don't be so surprised, get some rest!"

"By the way, from now on, please call me 'Boss'!"

After saying this, Chen Yanzhou left the conference hall.

Lu Youjiao watched his departing figure, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Hey, this kid..."