After the family split up, I achieved martial arts sainthood.

Qingfeng Mountain is the mountain range that Qingyuan County is backed by.

It is also the source of livelihood for hunters in Qingyuan County.

The sun is setting in the west, and the sun is sinking behind the western mountains.

Zhao Baoyin, with a wood-chopping knife at his waist, a bow and arrows slung over his shoulder, and carrying two plump wild rabbits, emerged from the mountains.

Following the newly opened road, we arrived at Qingfengkou.

Qingfengkou is the main passage for Qingyuan County to enter and exit Qingfeng Mountain.

This place has been guarded by the Qinglin Gang for many years, who set up checkpoints to "watch over" the hunters coming and going.

Zhao Baoyin carried the wild rabbits and walked with practiced ease to the awning at the entrance of the road, where he obediently placed the two rabbits on the long table under the awning.

"Gentlemen, we only have two wild rabbits today."

Zhao Baoyin forced a smile and spoke awkwardly.

After saying that, he patted himself all over and spun around in front of the Qinglin Gang members under the shed.

This indicated that he had not hidden any spoils on him.

The members of the Green Forest Gang ignored them.

One of the gang members stood up, walked around the long table to Zhao Baoyin, and personally searched Zhao Baoyin's entire body.

There were indeed no other gains hidden.

The gang member turned his head, looked at his companion behind the long table who was in charge of taking notes, and shook his head.

Seeing this, his companion frowned slightly, glanced at Zhao Baoyin who was smiling obsequiously, and then snorted, "What do you mean two rabbits? There are clearly four rabbits."

Ok?

Upon hearing this, Zhao Baoyin's expression faltered slightly.

There are clearly two rabbits, where did the four come from?

Zhao Baoyin was suspicious, but when he saw the Qinglin Gang members taking notes and recording the information directly in the ledger, he suddenly realized what was going on.

This is deliberately falsifying accounts to inflate his income and increase his tax revenue.

Hunters from Qingyuan County who went into the mountains to hunt had to pay 40% of their catch to the Qinglin Gang as tax.

Of course, the Qinglin Gang does not admit that it is tax money, and has always claimed that it is incense money offered to the mountain god.

In short, the more you gain, the more you pay.

He clearly only caught two rabbits, but the Green Forest Gang recorded four.

This means he'll have to pay an extra 40% in incense money for no reason.

Adding that up to 80%, what would he have left?

Isn't this a case of all that hard work going to waste?

"Sir, gentlemen, these are clearly two wild rabbits. They have little meat and lots of bones, not much fat at all."

Zhao Baoyin hurriedly stepped forward, his face full of fawning smiles as he pleaded, "Please, gentlemen, have mercy on me."

"If I said four, then it's four. Why all the nonsense? Get lost!"

The Qinglin Gang members who were recording the events had cold expressions and impatiently drove them away.

"Sirs, gentlemen, my family is almost starving. Please, gentlemen, have mercy. How about three?"

Zhao Baoyin looked embarrassed and still wanted to dissuade him.

"Snapped!"

The member of the Qinglin Gang who was recording the incident stood up and slapped Zhao Baoyin across the face, which was slightly overweight.

"Do you think this is a market? You think you can haggle like this?"

The Qinglin Gang members coldly retorted, "Are the rules of the Qinglin Gang something you can decide?"

Zhao Baoyin covered her face, her expression filled with grief and indignation, and instinctively wanted to argue.

"If you dare to utter another word, I'll make sure you never leave Qingfeng Mountain for the rest of your life."

But before he could speak, the members of the Qinglin Gang immediately drew their swords.

Their menacing demeanor exuded a palpable sense of murderous intent.

Zhao Baoyin swallowed back any words he wanted to say, and dared not utter another word.

He had no choice but to silently pick up the rabbit, weigh it, and leave in a hurry.

"You blind fool, pshaw! You deserve your damn bad luck."

Watching Zhao Baoyin leave, the gang member who was recording the events put down his sword and spat in disgust.

Such scenes have been playing out one after another at Qingfengkou.

The hunters who emerged all left filled with grief and indignation.

……

The sun is setting and night is approaching.

Zhao Baoyin dragged his weary steps back home.

"Baoyin's back? How was the harvest today?"

As I passed by Li Jinyu's house, I heard her laughing as she asked me something.

"Ugh, don't even mention it. Those bastards from the Green Forest Gang have raised their donation fees again."

Zhao Baoyin was surprised, then leaned against the fence, sighing with a worried expression, "I only caught two rabbits today, but they insist it's four, a 40% increase! Isn't that outrageous?"

"Has the Qinglin Gang gone mad? Are they trying to force us farmers to our deaths?"

Li Jinyu's expression suddenly changed as she accompanied her father in weaving bamboo baskets.

"Didn't the donation amount increase earlier this month? Why is it increasing again today?"

In the Zhao family courtyard, separated by a fence, Zhao Yongfu, who was also weaving bamboo baskets, exclaimed and stood up, his expression full of indignation.

"Who knows?"

Zhao Baoyin cursed, "They don't show any mercy at all. If you dare to say a word, they'll slap you across the face."

As he spoke, Zhao Baoyin subconsciously touched his cheek, which was still a little sore.

"Living off the mountains is becoming increasingly hopeless."

Zhao Yongfu sighed, leaning on a cane made of tree branches, and walked to the courtyard wall. He said, "Baoyin, how about we stop going into the mountains? We can do what Jinyu did, find a craftsman to apprentice under, and earn a stable living?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jinyu's eyes flickered, and her expression became somewhat unnatural.

Fortunately, night was falling and it was getting dark, so everyone could see less clearly.

"I'd like to..."

Zhao Baoyin sighed, "But learning a craft in a workshop takes ten years as an apprentice and five years as a helper. Where will you get the money for your medicine during that time?"

The wages for apprentices and helpers are very low.

During the apprenticeship, one could earn only a hundred copper coins a month.

Even without mentioning the cost of my father's medicine, we don't even have enough money for the whole family's living expenses.

"That's alright, Dad can handle it."

Zhao Yongfu touched his lame leg and forced a smile: "Besides, Dad has lived to be this old. Even if he passes away someday, it won't be a loss."

Zhao Baoyin remained silent, head down, without uttering a sound.

He knew that his father had long since given up on living.

Zhao Baoyin ignored Zhao Yongfu's suggestion and turned to Li Jinyu, asking, "By the way, Brother Jinyu, does the forging shop close so early? You're back so early?"

When the weapons forging shop was doing well, it would work day and night.

How could an apprentice, whose status is lower than that of livestock, be allowed to rest so early upon arrival?

unless……

Zhao Baoyin was slightly taken aback: "Could it be that business at the weapon forging shop is slow? Haven't they been using the furnace much?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jinyu paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's not that. It's just that my master thinks I might not be used to this line of work since I'm new to it. So he told me not to rush and to get used to it first."

I see...

Zhao Baoyin smiled knowingly: "Master Jiang is a good person."

"Yeah yeah."

Li Jinyu casually smiled in agreement.

"By the way, did Ah Xin come by today? I wonder how he is doing? Has he mastered the martial arts techniques? Is he being bullied at the martial arts school?"

Seeing that Li Jinyu's prospects seemed promising, Zhao Baoyin couldn't help but think of Gu Xin.

"I wonder when Ah Xin will be able to master martial arts. When that time comes, he can join the Qinglin Gang and make a name for himself like Cao Bao."

"In that case, we'll have someone to rely on, and life won't be as difficult as it is now."

Listening to Zhao Baoyin's aspirations, Li Jinyu pursed her lips but didn't say anything.

How easy is it to master martial arts?

How many days will Gu Xincai be gone?

I'm afraid they haven't even mastered the basics of martial arts yet.

Li Jinyu couldn't bear to shatter Zhao Baoyin's hopes, so she had to suppress her thoughts and remain silent.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the darkness and approached Li Jinyu's house.