Chapter 29: You are bandits, and in the end, you are nothing but bandits

Yao Gao and Fang Dahe wanted to say something, but the mournful sound of the suona rose. Zhang Yuan and the others straightened their clothes and withdrew from the mourning hall.

The funeral procession stretched for half a mile, with the village youths all coming to see him off.

For an ordinary family, this was the height of honor and grief.

Old Master Zheng was over seventy, which was considered a "joyful passing."

After the funeral, a banquet was held at the manor. Zhang Yuan and his companions had intended to leave, but they were insistently detained.

Seated at the main table, the prominent figures of Zheng Family Manor attended to them with great care, not daring to press them for wine.

In pursuit of the ultimate mastery of his saber techniques, Zhang Yuan never drank. Young Master Tao wanted to drink, but after a glare from Zhang Yuan, he could only wave his hand in refusal.

During the meal, when discussing Old Master Zheng, people remarked that he had encountered the boundless benevolence of the Second Master; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived three or four years ago.

Some also said that even if Zheng Qiang were still alive, the old man wouldn't have received such a grand and glorious funeral.

A moment later, Yao Gao and Fang Dahe approached carrying wine bowls. The others at the table hurriedly stood up to make way.

Everyone knew they were bandits.

"Second Master, I am Kong Baitang of the Kong family from Liaoyang Town. I am a cousin to Brother Zheng. As my cousin has departed this world, I have come to see him off on his final journey." Behind the two men, a plump elderly man cupped his hands, a smile on his face.

Young Master Tao nodded, glanced at the two men from Qingshan Fortress, and then looked at Kong Baitang. "Master Kong, please accept my condolences."

Kong Baitang's mouth twitched slightly, and the smile on his face stiffened.

If he didn't have something to ask Second Master Zhang, how could he possibly come to Zheng Family Manor to attend the funeral of a distant cousin?

Condolences? Condolences for what?

Zhang Yuan merely nodded in acknowledgment, offering no words of greeting.

This left Kong Baitang feeling somewhat awkward.

Clearing his throat, he took a step forward and sat down before the table. "I, Kong, have come to see the Second Master to discuss a matter."

Kong Baitang poured himself a cup of wine, held it in his hand, and said, "My Kong family's merchant caravans travel between three counties and two towns, and we also have business at the borders."

"In recent years, we have had many dealings with the brothers of Qingshan Fortress. Seeing them earn such hard-earned money, I truly find it difficult to watch."

Beside him, Yao Gao and Fang Dahe glanced at Zhang Yuan with uneasy eyes. Seeing that Zhang Yuan's expression remained unchanged, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

How should one put it? What Kong Baitang said was true.

Bandits usually lived a life of drinking heavily and eating meat after a single successful raid, only descending the mountain when they ran out of money.

After being brought down from the mountains by Zhang Yuan, they had to clear paths, build cableways, and were forbidden from looting. The people of the eighteen Qingshan fortresses were indeed living difficult lives.

In the past two years, as the trade routes of Luyang Prefecture gradually flourished, the cableways and mountain roads built by Qingshan Fortress had attracted more merchant caravans, and their lives had gradually become more comfortable.

Nowadays, many bandit fortresses actually envied Qingshan Fortress.

"It is the Second Master and the Teacher who have allowed us to live stable lives," Yao Gao and Fang Dahe interjected hurriedly. "Now, our lives are honest and steady."

Hearing their words, Kong Baitang gave a light laugh.

"I only saw that the brothers were guarding wealth without knowing it, and my heart grew anxious."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhang Yuan and Young Master Tao, lowering his voice. "Second Master, I have certain connections. I can sell the iron cables and pulleys manufactured by Qingshan Fortress."

"As long as you two can produce the cables and pulleys, I can sell them."

He extended his hand, palm up. "I will buy as many as you can make, split fifty-fifty."

"No, sixty-forty will also do."

Holding his wine cup in one hand, he looked at Zhang Yuan and Young Master Tao with a smile.

He admitted that these two were quite famous.

The phrase "boundless righteousness" was a golden brand in itself.

But one was of bandit origin, and the other was merely a fallen scholar.

When the person from Qingshan Fortress had previously introduced him to the Second Master, he had thought the Second Master would be a burly man in his thirties or early forties; he hadn't expected him to be a mere youth.

Such a person might act with loyalty and sentiment, but in terms of vision, could he compare to him, the head of the Kong family who had controlled a clan for decades?

Take those iron cables and pulleys, for example. Qingshan Fortress used them to build slides, earning a bit of hard-earned money from transporting goods every day.

The Second Master truly didn't know that such things could be sold for astronomical prices!

As long as these two agreed, and the production of cables and pulleys was handed over to him and the Kong family, it wouldn't take three years for the Kong family to become a major power in the region.

Of course, the best way would be for him to master the forging of these cables and pulleys himself.

This Second Master was said to have decent cultivation and a significant reputation in the martial world; seizing them by force would not be easy, so he would need to use some tactics.

"Does Master Kong intend to take these cables and pulleys to build cableways elsewhere?" Zhang Yuan looked up at him and nodded. "That would indeed be a good thing."

Build cableways elsewhere?

In Zhang Erhe's eyes, these cables and pulleys were for building cableways.

As expected, hearing about him was not as good as meeting him; the "Boundlessly Righteous" Second Master Zhang was not as divine as the rumors suggested.

Kong Baitang grinned. "Naturally, it is a good thing. Second Master, you are boundlessly righteous; I, Kong, merely wish to help the Second Master while making money, thereby gaining some merit."

"Since ancient times, building bridges and paving roads has been an act of merit."

"Hmm, that makes sense." Beside him, Young Master Tao put down his bamboo chopsticks and sat up straight. "It is a good thing."

"Then, I wonder—" Kong Baitang's face was full of joy. Just as he was about to press his advantage to finalize the deal, Zhang Yuan stood up.

"Today is the joyful passing of Old Master Zheng, so let us not discuss such matters."

Young Master Tao nodded and stood up as well.

As Zhang Yuan and Young Master Tao walked out, Yao Gao and Fang Dahe exchanged a glance and hurriedly followed.

The village head and the manager of Zheng Family Manor, who had been watching from the side, hurried out to see them off.

Sitting in his place, Kong Baitang's expression shifted repeatedly. He raised his wine cup, drained it in one gulp, and then spat it out.

"Pah, such inferior wine..."

He stood up and watched Zhang Yuan's departing figure, a sharp glint appearing in his eyes.

"It seems Teacher Tao understands that this business is profitable; I will need to find a way to contact him again."

"I thought Second Master Zhang was a formidable figure, but now I see he is nothing more than an unformed youth, possessing nothing but a hollow reputation."

...

Following Zhang Yuan outside the manor, Yao Gao and Fang Dahe could no longer restrain themselves. They stepped forward and whispered, "Second Master, we have something to report."

Zhang Yuan stopped and turned to look at them.

"Um, Second Master, it's like this," Yao Gao hesitated before bracing himself. "Zhao Changchun, the Sixth Master of the Zhao family from Jiulin County, wishes to request a meeting with you."

"Zhao 'the Cloud-Treading Tiger' Changchun?" Zhang Yuan's eyebrows twitched slightly. "The Zhao family of Jiulin County doesn't seem to have a very good reputation; they are connected to many mountain bandits, aren't they?"

This caused Yao Gao and Fang Dahe to look instantly embarrassed.

Zhao Changchun, the Cloud-Treading Tiger, was a Xiantian-realm expert who had been famous for ten years. The Zhao family had expanded to control the underworld of Jiulin precisely because of his strength.

To say the Zhao family was "connected" to bandits was putting it mildly.

The reality was that the masters of several mountain fortresses in Jiulin County were all controlled by the Zhao family.

The two exchanged a secret glance and lowered their heads. "Sixth Master Zhao's intention is to have you, Second Master, become the common lord of the fortresses in both counties."

"As you know, Second Master, with the recent prosperity of the trade routes in Luyang Prefecture, Qingshan Fortress has earned some hard-earned money from the cableways. Many in the surrounding martial world are envious."

"If Sixth Master Zhao's proposal can build up enough momentum—with you gaining fame and the Zhao family and the brothers providing the muscle—to bring the trade routes within a three-hundred-mile radius under your control, then making money will become easy."

Standing to the side, Young Master Tao frowned slightly but did not interrupt.

He had long been accustomed to only listening and not speaking regarding the martial world affairs surrounding Zhang Yuan.

Having lost his martial path, he could no longer be considered a person of the martial world.

"I have no desire to involve myself much in martial world affairs," Zhang Yuan shook his head. "If you feel that life is too meager just guarding the cableways, you can take this opportunity to form a merchant caravan to travel between Fengtian and the borders."

Having said that, Zhang Yuan walked straight ahead.

Young Master Tao walked to Yao Gao's side and spoke, "I suspect that the government will soon prohibit such unregulated trade routes. How much you can earn is your own business."

Yao Gao and Fang Dahe stood in place, watching Zhang Yuan and the others depart, their expressions complicated.

"You two are bandits, and in the end, you are bandits. Some sentiments will only grow fainter the further you walk."

"He was a comrade of Boss Duan, but he is not your comrade. No matter how loud his reputation for righteousness may be, he cannot truly provide a good life for the brothers of Qingshan Fortress."

From behind, a voice rang out.

(End of Chapter)