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

Winter comes suddenly in Xiangyang. The north wind whips up withered leaves and feels like razor blades on your face.

January has arrived in the blink of an eye.

The reeds along the riverbank had long since withered and turned yellow. Chen Yanzhou, wearing only a thin short-sleeved shirt, stood in the cold wind. Though small in stature, he was as firmly rooted to the ground as a nail.

Inhale, relax your shoulders, and drop your elbows.

Over the past month, he has practiced that tedious "Hun Tian Gong" no less than a thousand times. At first, he practiced until he was like a dead dog, but then he gradually felt his body getting warmer, and later, that warmth began to penetrate into his bone marrow.

Just now, a warm current surged from his dantian.

Unlike the fleeting illusion of last time, this feeling was real and tangible.

It felt like a warm current, followed by a thin, thread-like stream of heat that slowly flowed through my body.

Chen Yanzhou was startled and suppressed his overwhelming joy. He didn't dare to stop moving and instead followed the momentum, widening his stance even further.

Let that energy flow freely through your meridians.

Wherever it passed, muscles that had been stiff from the cold instantly felt numb, as if they were soaking in warm water, a warm and comfortable sensation that went straight to the top of one's head.

After completing a set of punches, the faint airflow had already circulated through a small cycle.

Although it was only the most basic Small Heavenly Circuit, this energy flow finally returned to the Dantian, lingered there, and no longer dissipated.

Chen Yanzhou finished his stance and exhaled a long breath of white air.

"Is this internal energy?"

He clenched his fist, his heart filled with joy.

The next second, he threw a punch at the willow tree next to him.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the withered willow shook violently, and several dry branches fell down. Where the fist struck the bark, a cloud of wood chips exploded, leaving a shallow fist mark.

Chen Yanzhou grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

Lao Tzu is indeed a genius. Although he was a little slow on the uptake for a month, he still managed to master it. With this foundation of internal energy, any advanced martial arts he learns in the future will be a natural progression.

In a great mood, even the biting cold wind felt like a gentle spring breeze.

Chen Yanzhou hummed an off-key tune and strolled back with his hands behind his back.

As soon as he rounded the bend in the river, the sight before him deepened the smile on his lips.

The dilapidated shacks that used to collapse with a gust of wind have long since disappeared. In their place stand rows of neat and uniform wooden houses.

Although it doesn't use any precious wood, mostly pine and fir wood cut from the mountains, it is sturdy and spacious.

The roof was covered with thick thatch, and the windows were covered with new paper.

The central council hall was even more magnificent, paved with blue bricks, with two red lanterns hanging at the entrance bearing the large character "丐" (beggar), exuding a joyous and triumphant air.

This month, "Beggar Gang Logistics" became an absolute sensation.

Merchants in Xiangyang initially adopted a wait-and-see attitude, until the first batch of goods was delivered safely to Lin'an by Beggar Clan disciples, taking only half the time and costing half the price of the escort agency. The entire Xiangyang business community was in an uproar.

Now, the threshold of the council hall is almost worn down by those shopkeepers.

Chen Yanzhou walked through the busy crowd.

The Beggars' Sect disciples who passed by were all dressed in faded blue cloth vests, looking very energetic. They all greeted him respectfully.

This is the power of money, and also the power of rules.

Chen Yanzhou nodded in acknowledgment and walked straight toward the council hall.

Inside the council chamber at this moment.

The charcoal brazier was burning brightly, providing a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Lu Youjiao sat in the main seat, his face glowing.

Standing below were two disciples of the Eight Bags, Li Sheng and Yu Zhaoxing, each holding a thick ledger in their hands, their expressions even more interesting than during the New Year.

"Elder Lu, these are last month's accounts."

Li Sheng's voice trembled with excitement as he said, "After deducting the travel expenses for the brothers in various branch headquarters, and the costs of repairing houses, purchasing clothing, and buying grain and oil, our Xiangyang headquarters has a net income of... 3,800 taels of silver!"

"How many?!"

Lu You's hands trembled, and he almost dropped the purple clay teapot, splashing a few drops of scalding tea onto the back of his hand, but he was completely unaware.

"Three thousand eight hundred taels!" Yu Zhaoxing chimed in, his voice deafening. "And that doesn't even include the cloth, cured meat, and aged wine that the merchants brought. Elder Lu, we're rich! We're really rich! What we earned in this month is more than we used to eat in ten years!"

Lu Youjiao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to roar to the sky.

He had thought he could make money, but he hadn't imagined making it this way.

This isn't transporting goods, it's practically picking money off the ground.

"Calm down, calm down." Lu Youjiao put down the teapot, stroked his beard, and tried to appear worldly-wise. "This is just the beginning. There's a long road ahead. Yanzhou said this is called... something like 'economies of scale.' Once we expand nationwide, the money..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Youjiao's ears suddenly twitched.

As an elder of the Beggars' Sect, his hearing was naturally exceptional.

Lu Youjiao's eyes narrowed. In broad daylight, someone dared to come to the Beggars' Sect headquarters to eavesdrop?

He suddenly turned his head to look at the window.

A disheveled head peeked out from the half-open window.

The old man's face was greasy, with sauce still stuck to his beard. He was winking at him, putting his index finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture.

Gang leader?!

Lu Youjiao's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He was about to shout when Hong Qigong glared at him sternly, which stopped him from speaking.

Hong Qigong pointed to Li Sheng and Yu Zhaoxing inside the house, then pointed to the door and waved his hand.

Lu Youjiao understood instantly.

"Cough cough."

He cleared his throat, looked at Li Sheng and Yu Zhaoxing, and said, "Alright, I know all the accounts. You did a good job. Go down now and let the brothers keep up the good work. Come back and talk to me in detail later."

Li Sheng and Yu Zhaoxing were in the middle of their report when they were interrupted and were a little stunned.

But this was, after all, an order from an elder.

"Yes, I'll take my leave."

Although the two were full of suspicion, they could only put away the account book, clasp their hands in greeting, and leave the council hall, closing the door behind them.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Lu Youjiao then dashed to the window and pushed it open.

"Boss! What are you up to?"

Hong Qigong nimbly climbed through the window and landed silently.

He first looked around suspiciously like a thief, and only after making sure no one was around did he breathe a sigh of relief and casually slump into the armchair.

"What are you guys up to?"

Hong Qigong pointed at the newly renovated council hall, marveling, "I circled around outside several times just now, and I couldn't believe it! I thought I'd gone to the wrong place and wandered into some rich man's private residence. These blue bricks, this wood, when did our Beggars' Sect become so extravagant?"

"This is all thanks to that kid Yanzhou."

Lu Youjiao poured Hong Qigong a cup of tea, his face beaming with undisguised smugness. "You have no idea," he said, "in the past month or so, Yanzhou has been leading us in this 'logistics' business, and we've made a fortune. Now, our Beggars' Sect disciples can walk around with their heads held three times higher than before!"

"Logistics?" Hong Qigong was completely confused, but he had never been interested in these business strategies; as long as his disciples and followers had food to eat, that was enough for him.

He picked up his teacup, took a big gulp, and sighed contentedly.

"That kid is indeed a genius; the old beggar was right about him."

"That's right, that's right." Lu Youjiao leaned closer. "Chief, did you bring back some peerless internal energy cultivation technique for Yanzhou this time? That kid talks about it every day, my ears are practically calloused."

"puff--"

Hong Qigong spat out all the tea he had just drunk, spraying it all over Lu Youjiao's face.

"Cough cough cough..."

Hong Qigong coughed violently, his old face turned red, and his eyes darted around, looking left and right but not daring to look at Lu Youjiao.

"That... mental cultivation method..."

Lu Youjiao wiped the tea off his face, his heart skipping a beat: "Chief, you wouldn't have... forgotten, would you?"

Hong Qigong scratched his messy hair, looking embarrassed.

"It's not that I forgot... well, when I passed through Lin'an, the Drunken Flower Pavilion had a new drink called 'Ten Mile Fragrance,' and I, the old beggar, went in and tried it. And that one taste was all it took... I drank it for three days straight..."

"and then?"

"Then... I... well, I gave up on the whole thing about going to the palace to find the secret manual."

Hong Qigong's voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

Lu Youjiao was speechless and choked with emotion.

One of the Five Great Masters, he actually forgot about his disciple's important matter because of his love of drinking. If Chen Yanzhou found out, wouldn't that kid's mouth make the old man want to crawl into a hole and curse him?

"Boss, so why have you come back now...?"

"I'm just feeling guilty!"

Hong Qigong lowered his voice and said furtively, "Actually, I arrived in Xiangyang a couple of days ago. But I thought, how could I face my disciple if I came back empty-handed? So I've been hiding in a dilapidated temple outside the city and haven't dared to show my face."

Lu Youjiao was both amused and exasperated: "It's not a good thing for you to keep hiding like this. Yanzhou is a clever kid."

Hong Qigong sighed and said, "How could I not know?"

"Never mind, I'll think about it myself for the next couple of days."

Lu Youjiao couldn't expose him, so he could only nod in agreement: "Yes, yes, yes, the divine skill created by the gang leader himself must be a hundred times stronger than the one in the palace."

"Of course!" Hong Qigong seized the opportunity to back down, then quickly changed the subject, rubbing his hands together and putting on a fawning smile. "Um... you have legs? I heard you say you made a lot of money?"

"They made a lot of money."

"Then give me some too." Hong Qigong stretched out his hand matter-of-factly. "I've been hiding outside these past few days, and the few copper coins I have have have long been spent on wine. I can't even afford a roast chicken. Hurry up and give me a few hundred taels so I can go buy some good wine and meat."

Lu Youjiao shook his head helplessly, turned around and walked to the cabinet in the corner, and took out a stack of silver notes.

"Yanzhou said that you are the leader and the biggest backer of our business, so you will receive a share of the profits. Please take these and spend them."

Hong Qigong's eyes lit up instantly. He snatched the silver note, spit some saliva on his fingers, and counted it with a rustling sound.

"Hey! This kid's really filial! We didn't spoil him for nothing!"

Just then, a series of light footsteps came from outside the door.

"Grandpa Lu! Grandpa Lu, are you there?"

Chen Yanzhou's voice, brimming with excitement, came closer as he spoke, "I've mastered it! I've really mastered it! I have internal energy now!"

To Hong Qigong, the sound was like a death knell.

His smile froze instantly, and the silver note in his hand almost fell to the ground.

"Oh no! That little devil is here!"

Hong Qigong jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, hurriedly stuffed the silver notes into his pocket, looked around, and was about to dart towards the window.

"Master, why are you running? Yanzhou has developed internal strength, that's a good thing!" Lu Youjiao asked, puzzled.

"What a load of rubbish!"

Hong Qigong stamped his feet in frustration. "He's developed internal energy now, he'll definitely want the cultivation technique even more! What am I supposed to give him now? Air? No, no, I have to slip away quickly, and see him again after I've finished writing that damn cultivation technique!"

As he spoke, he had already stepped one foot onto the windowsill.

"Old Lu! Don't you dare tell anyone I came back! If you give yourself away, I'll make sure you lose your feet!"

"Why……"

Before Lu Youjiao could speak, he felt a blur before his eyes.

The windowsill was empty, with only the window swaying slightly in the cold wind, making a soft creaking sound.

The next second, the doors to the council chamber were pushed open.

Chen Yanzhou rushed in excitedly, his face flushed and beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Grandpa Lu! This morning I..."

Chen Yanzhou stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

He sniffed and took a suspicious sniff of the air.

"Why does this room smell like alcohol? And that aged Shaoxing wine, no less?"

Chen Yanzhou's gaze swept over the still steaming teacup on the table.

He glanced again at the half-open window and the muddy footprint on the windowsill that he hadn't had time to wipe off.

Chen Yanzhou narrowed his eyes, looked at Lu Youjiao's unnatural expression, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Grandpa Lu, just now...did an old mouse come by?"

Lu felt bitter inside. These two, master and apprentice, were both incredibly cunning. How was he supposed to act?

He coughed lightly, his eyes darting around. "What...what old rat? You must have smelled something wrong. I just...I just drank some wine to warm myself up."

"Oh?"

Chen Yanzhou walked to the window and touched the mud stains on the windowsill; they were still wet.

"You drink by climbing through the window? That's quite a unique hobby."

Chen Yanzhou patted the dirt off his hands, turned around, looked at Lu Youjiao, and smiled like a little fox.

"Alright, stop pretending. Did that old man come back? Did he forget his cultivation technique again, and run away with the money because he was afraid I'd scold him?"

Lu Youjiao opened his mouth wide, unable to close it for a long time.

Did this kid install eyes on the gang leader? How come he guessed it perfectly?

"Ahem... well, Yanzhou, the gang leader also has his reasons..."

"What a load of crap."

Chen Yanzhou rolled his eyes and plopped down in the chair that Hong Qigong had just sat in, feeling the lingering warmth on it.

"That old bastard must have forgotten."