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

By the time they returned to the shack, it was completely dark.

The shack was deserted and quiet, with only a few embers remaining in the stove, flickering like a dying firefly.

Chen Yanzhou skillfully added some dry grass and blew on it a few times, and the flames finally reignited.

Lifting the lid, the pot was empty.

"Ugh."

Chen Yanzhou sighed, poured the last bit of brown rice into the pot, added water, and covered it. His movements were fluid and graceful, but his heart was filled with bitterness, like he had swallowed a bitter herb.

Although he was Hong Qigong's last disciple, which sounded prestigious and meant he would be someone to be trifled with in the future, his current life was truly unbearable.

A set of "Hun Tian Gong" had left his bones almost broken, and he desperately needed to replenish his energy. But look at this pot, it's just clear broth and water, and the reflection of a person in it is thicker than the porridge.

If I keep practicing like this, forget about becoming a peerless master; I'd be lucky to survive if I didn't die.

Chen Yanzhou rubbed his rumbling stomach, leaning against the pile of firewood in a daze. His mind was filled with thoughts of braised pork belly, braised pork hock, beggar's chicken... or even a meat bun would do.

Just as I was wondering whether I should go to the river to catch a couple of loaches for a meal, my nostrils twitched.

A rich, smoky aroma, mingled with the scent of grease and caramel, wafted in through the crack in the broken door.

Chen Yanzhou sat up abruptly.

Just then, the curtain was lifted, and Lu Youjiao walked in, bringing with him a chill. His old face beamed with a smile, and he carried an oil paper package in his hand, the aroma of which was emanating from there.

"Gulp."

Chen Yanzhou swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing loudly in the quiet shack.

Lu Youjiao threw the oil paper package onto the three-legged table. The package was heavy and made the table shake.

"Look at you, all drooling, practically dripping down your feet." Lu Youjiao didn't stand on ceremony, plopping down on the straw mat and leaning his bamboo cane to the side. "Eat it while it's hot, it'll get fishy when it cools down."

Chen Yanzhou didn't care about being polite anymore. He pounced on the oil paper like a hungry tiger and ripped it off.

Hey!

A whole, golden-brown, sizzling chicken lay prominently inside, surrounded by four or five fist-sized meat buns, plump and white, exuding warmth.

Chen Yanzhou grabbed a chicken leg, tore it off fiercely, and stuffed it into his mouth, skin and all.

In that instant, the oil exploded on his tongue, the crispy chicken skin mixed with the tender chicken meat—it was simply divine. He didn't have time to speak, swallowing the chicken leg in a few bites, then grabbed a meat bun and took a big bite.

The meat filling is plump and juicy.

After eating half a chicken and two steamed buns, the burning hunger in my stomach finally subsided a little.

Chen Yanzhou let out a burp, wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, and then remembered to ask about the important matter.

"Grandpa Lu, have you struck it rich?" He pointed to the remaining half of the chicken. "Even the beggars' guild's accountant, Rat, would come out crying if he went in. Where did you get the money to buy this?"

Lu Youjiao chuckled, took out a gourd from his pocket, and took a sip.

"Left by the gang leader."

"Master?" Chen Yanzhou was taken aback.

"The gang leader specifically instructed me before he left." Lu Youjiao pointed to Chen Yanzhou's thin, stick-like arms. "He said that you are at the age where you are growing, and you are going to practice that Hun Tian Gong. How can you just eat coarse rice and pickled vegetables? If you ruin your health, you will be a disgrace to his old beggar self. He specially left some loose silver and told me to get you some meat every day."

Chen Yanzhou looked at the half chicken, and felt a pang of sadness, as if something had hit him in the heart.

That old, unconventional master, who usually seems carefree, is actually incredibly meticulous when it matters.

"Alright, stop being so emotional and wiping away tears. That's what the boss hates most." Lu Youjiao waved his hand and pointed to the chicken bones on the table. "Eat up, you'll have the energy to work. From now on, we can eat meat every day."

Chen Yanzhou keenly grasped the key point in the words.

"Eating meat every day?" He tossed aside the chicken bone in his hand, his eyes gleaming as he stared at Lu Youjiao. "Did you get the job done?"

Lu Youjiao didn't say anything, but just patted his chest triumphantly.

A crisp sound of paper rubbing together.

"Although Lü Wende is a corrupt official, he's not stupid. Someone else is taking over the mess of thousands of refugees without him having to spend a penny. If he were to turn down such a good opportunity, his time as an official would be over."

Lu Youjiao took out the "Memorial Requesting the Establishment of the Yiyun Division" stamped with a bright red seal and waved it in front of Chen Yanzhou.

"It's stamped and filed. From tomorrow on, we're officially transporting goods under orders, and it's perfectly legitimate!"

Chen Yanzhou took the paper and examined it carefully by the light of the stove fire. The bright red seal stood out vividly in the dim shack.

This is not just a seal; it is the first pass for the Beggars' Sect's transformation, and also the ticket for eating meat and drinking wine to the fullest in the future.

"All done." Chen Yanzhou carefully folded the paper and handed it back to Lu Youjiao. "Now that the official channels are open, we need to get things moving internally too."

He grabbed another bun, chewing as he mumbled, "Grandpa Lu, we need to establish some rules when we're selecting people tomorrow."

"What are the rules?"

"Take a shower and change your clothes."

Lu Youjiao almost spat out the mouthful of wine he had just taken a sip of, staring at Chen Yanzhou with wide eyes as if he were looking at a monster.

"Huh? Take a shower?"

"Yes, take a bath." Chen Yanzhou swallowed the bun and said seriously, "Although we are beggars, we are doing legitimate business now. Which of those big merchants and managers doesn't have high standards? If our people go to receive goods with disheveled hair and smelly bodies, they will be afraid of dirtying the goods, and the business will fall through before the deal is even settled."

Lu Youjiao frowned, seemingly digesting this unconventional suggestion. If beggars aren't dirty, then what kind of beggars are they?

"And clothes." Chen Yanzhou pointed to his tattered clothes, patched upon patched. "We don't need to wear fine silks and satins, but at least they have to be clean and tidy. Even if they're patched, they have to be sewn neatly. We need to come up with a uniform style, like sewing a piece of blue cloth on the shoulder with the character 'beggar' or 'righteous cause' written on it. That's what we call... what we call appearances."

"Let people know at a glance that we are a regular army, not a bunch of stragglers begging on the street."

As Lu Youjiao listened, his brows gradually relaxed, and finally a look of approval appeared on his face.

Although he didn't understand what "brand image" meant, he was a seasoned veteran and understood these basic social skills. In the past, when beggars went to wealthy families to beg for food, if they dressed a little neater, they could get two extra spoonfuls of leftover rice.

"You little rascal, you've thought things through even further than this old man." Lu Youjiao shook his head with a smile. "Don't worry, I've already thought about this on my way back."

"Oh?"

"I've already had someone make the arrangements," Lu Youjiao said smugly. "We have quite a few skillful women in our gang; have them work through the night to make a batch of blue cloth vests. As for bathing... tomorrow morning, I'll have those bastards all jump into the Han River to scrub me clean! Anyone who doesn't get properly clean can forget about getting any work!"

Chen Yanzhou couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Old ginger is spicier, Grandpa Lu is really efficient."

"Stop flattering me," Lu Youjiao said with a laugh, "Eat quickly."

Chen Yanzhou smiled and nodded, then suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, Grandpa Lu, with us making such a big fuss about transporting goods, those escort agencies in Xiangyang City are probably getting restless."

This is inevitable.

Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. Once the Beggars' Sect's "righteous transport" service opens, with its low prices and vast manpower network, it will definitely deliver a devastating blow to traditional escort agencies.

"We don't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either. If they really dare to come at us with force... our Beggars' Sect isn't a pushover either."

Lu Youjiao burst into laughter and said...

"Besides, our leader is none other than the Northern Beggar, one of the Five Greats of the martial arts world! A few mere镖局 (security escort agencies) wouldn't dare to challenge us even if they had ten times the courage!"

"Besides, the Beggars' Sect is known as the largest sect in the world, with hundreds of thousands of disciples. A single spit from each of them could drown their escort agency. We are acting on 'righteous cause,' with the authority of righteousness and the official approval of the government. If they dare to use force, they will be going against the imperial court and against all the refugees in the world."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanzhou also felt that it made sense, so he didn't think much of it.

Lu Youjiao gave him a few words of advice, then got up and left.

After eating and drinking his fill, Chen Yanzhou washed up briefly and lay down. He slept very soundly that night.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

The banks of the Han River outside Xiangyang City suddenly became bustling with activity.

At this time of day, only a few early-rising fishermen would be casting their nets. But today, the riverbank is packed with people.

At Lu Youjiao's command, hundreds of ragged beggars jumped into the icy river like dumplings being dropped into boiling water.

"Scrub it all! Scrub it hard!"

Lu Youjiao stood on a large rock on the shore, waving a bamboo cane and spitting as he shouted, "The back of your neck! The back of your ears! And between your toes! Clean them all clean! Anyone who dares to leave a speck of dirt behind won't get any meat soup tonight!"

"Yes, Elder!"

A series of howls and screams came from the river, caused by the cold water and excitement.

Chen Yanzhou squatted on the bank, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, looking at the painting of a hundred beggars bathing, and nodded in satisfaction.