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

Just as Huang Rong was caught in a dilemma, a series of noisy footsteps suddenly came from the stairwell.

Immediately afterwards, a gruff voice rang out: "Quickly! All of you, keep it down!"

Huang Rong turned her head and saw seven or eight strong Beggar Clan disciples, in pairs, carrying four heavy red wooden boxes, huffing and puffing as they went upstairs.

Leading the way was a middle-aged beggar with a burly face and six cloth bags hanging from his waist.

This man was none other than Li Tieniu, the leader of the Zhangjiakou branch.

As soon as Li Tieniu went upstairs, his gaze swept across the hall, and the moment he saw Chen Yanzhou, his entire body of fat trembled.

He rushed over in three strides, and upon reaching the leader, knelt down on one knee with a thud, his voice booming like a bell: "Your subordinate, Li Tieniu, the leader of the Zhangjiakou branch, greets the Chief!"

The seven or eight disciples carrying the boxes also knelt down in unison: "Greetings, Chief!"

That shout startled all the diners on the second floor, causing them to drop their chopsticks.

The manager of Changqinglou was hiding behind the counter doing accounts when he heard the noise and peeked out. He was so startled that he almost dropped his abacus.

Good heavens, is this the legendary leader of the Beggars' Sect?

That's so young!

Chen Yanzhou waved his hand, gesturing for them to stand up: "Alright, no need for these formalities when we're out. Did you bring all the gifts?"

"I brought it! I brought it all!"

Li Tieniu pointed to the four large boxes, "All the accounts for the Zhangjiakou branch over the past two years, including the freight manifests from the Yiyun Division, the brothers' resettlement allowances, and the bribes paid to the government, are all here!"

With that, he waved his hand and said, "Open it!"

Several disciples stepped forward and opened the lids of the boxes one by one.

"Splash—"

The ledgers were piled up so high they were almost overflowing. Dust accumulated on the covers danced in the sunlight, emitting the musty smell unique to old paper.

Huang Rong looked at the four large boxes and felt a wave of dizziness, almost slipping off the stool.

This isn't an account book; it looks like four coffins!

"Master Li, business in Zhangjiakou has been doing well these past two years, but I've heard that some accounts don't quite add up?" Chen Yanzhou asked casually, without even glancing at the boxes, while holding his teacup.

Li Tieniu's dark face turned deathly pale instantly, cold sweat streaming down his temples: "Chief, please understand! I'm a rough man, not very literate, and we've gone through several accountants. Some were dishonest, some couldn't even do the math... I'm really worried!"

"Don't worry anymore."

Chen Yanzhou put down his teacup and pointed at Huang Rong sitting opposite him.

"This young man is an arithmetic expert I specially invited. He will be here for the next three days to be in charge of checking the accounts."

Li Tieniu was taken aback, turning to look at the thin, small "beggar," his face full of doubt: "Boss, this... this little kid, can he handle it?"

"Whether it works or not, we'll find out by trying."

Chen Yanzhou grinned at Huang Rong, revealing a set of white teeth. To Huang Rong, that smile was more ferocious than a demon.

"Young man, if these four boxes of account books aren't accounted for within three days, or if something goes wrong..."

He paused, picked up the dog-beating stick on the table, and gently tapped the box full of account books, producing a dull sound.

"Our Beggars' Sect's interest rates are very high."

Huang Rong was so angry that her teeth itched. In all her life, she had always been the one teasing others. When had she ever been manipulated like this?

But looking at the four boxes of account books, then at Li Tieniu and the group of Beggar Clan disciples who were eyeing him menacingly, and at the big black dog at his feet that seemed ready to pounce at any moment.

A wise man doesn't suffer a loss he can avoid.

"Yes! I'll calculate it!"

Huang Rong spat out these words through gritted teeth, glaring fiercely at Chen Yanzhou, "But let's get this straight: once we've settled things, this hundred taels will be wiped clean, and you'll have to let me go!"

"make a deal."

Chen Yanzhou readily agreed.

Immediately, he took out twenty taels from his pocket and threw them to the waiter.

The waiter's hands trembled as he held the silver coins that Chen Yanzhou had tossed to him.

That's a full twenty taels of silver!

In Zhangjiakou, an ordinary family's annual expenses amount to no more than a few taels of silver.

"Sir, what is this...?" The waiter swallowed hard, his eyes darting back and forth between the silver ingot and Chen Yanzhou's patched-up clothes, feeling that the contrast was so jarring that it made him dizzy.

Chen Yanzhou said calmly, "I've booked this second-floor private room for the next five days. Aside from food and water deliveries, no unauthorized personnel are allowed up here. Especially..."

He glanced at the diners huddled in the corner, peering out. "Send all these people away. The losses of the past few days will be factored into that twenty taels. Is that enough?"

"Enough! That's more than enough!" The waiter nodded vigorously. "I'll get on it right away! I'll get on it right away!"

After saying that, as if afraid that Chen Yanzhou would change his mind, he turned around and started to kick people out.

Although the diners were dissatisfied, they all wisely shut their mouths and slunk downstairs when they saw the burly men standing next to the large boxes and the young beggar who casually scattered silver coins.

In just a short while, only Chen Yanzhou, Huang Rong, and those few heavy account books boxes, which looked like coffins, remained on the huge second floor.

Huang Rong sat on the bench, completely dumbfounded.

This is clearly a way to lock myself up here and make me a laborer!

"You...you're insane?" Huang Rong pointed at the mountain of account books, her voice trembling. "So many messy accounts, five days? Even if the abacus masters from the Ministry of Revenue came, they wouldn't be able to sort them out in less than half a month! Are you trying to work me to death?"

Chen Yanzhou ignored her outburst and turned to look at Li Tieniu and the others who were still kneeling on the ground.

"Alright, stop standing around, it's annoying." Chen Yanzhou waved his hand as if shooing away flies. "Tie Niu, leave two people to guard the stairwell, the rest of you go do what you need to do. Remember, don't let anyone come up here to disturb this young man's...work these next few days."

"Yes, Chief!" Although Li Tieniu was puzzled about what skills this little beggar had, the chief's words were law. He dared not ask any more questions, kowtowed with his men, and got up to leave.

Before leaving, Li Tieniu took another look at Huang Rong, his eyes filled with sympathy.

His eyes clearly said: "Young man, good luck to you. This ledger is giving me a headache."

As the heavy footsteps faded into the distance, the second floor fell completely silent.

Chen Yanzhou stretched and dragged three long benches over from the side, putting them side by side together.

Then, under Huang Rong's incredulous gaze, he tilted his body and lay down comfortably.

With his hands behind his head, he crossed his legs and even swung his toes comfortably.

"Hey!" Huang Rong finally couldn't hold back any longer, slamming her hand on the table and jumping up. "What do you mean by this? You're making me do the work while you're sleeping in here?"

Chen Yanzhou didn't even lift his eyelids, and said lazily, "I'm the boss, and you're the long-term laborer paying off the debt. What kind of logic is it for the boss to do the work while the laborer watches? Hurry up and calculate it. If you can't finish in three days, I'll have to calculate the interest on that hundred taels of silver according to the 'nine out, thirteen back' rule."

"You scoundrel!" Huang Rong's face turned red with anger. Although her face was covered in soot and could not be clearly seen, the flames shooting from her eyes could almost set the account book on fire.

She was the daughter of the dignified Peach Blossom Island Master, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and divination. Wherever she went, she was fawned over and pampered. How could she have fallen to this state, completely controlled by a lowly beggar!

"run!"

The thought flashed through Huang Rong's mind, and her eyes darted to the window not far away.

This is the second floor. With my lightness skill, jumping down is a piece of cake. Once I get out of Changqing Tower, the sky is the limit. Can this stinking beggar go to Peach Blossom Island to catch people?