Chapter 43: 42 Lives, Part 2

Li Heng has been able to serve as the abbot of Qinghe Temple for so many years, it’s impossible without some backing.

The fact that Qinghe Temple has remained unscathed in Huaxin County for so many years also highlights Li Heng’s capabilities.

So, whether it’s for his wife or his own future, Zhang Xintai must pay considerable attention to Li Heng.

“That’s right.” Li Heng recalled Shao Quanhua’s instructions, suppressed a hint of unease in his heart, and forced a smile.

“I’ve just received some bad news. I may need you to come and see it personally.”

“Bad news?” Zhang Xintai was taken aback. On such a good day, he’s saying this?

“It’s related to the Yang family… If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have rushed to bring you this news.” Li Heng explained.

He didn’t know why Shao Quanhua wanted him to lure Zhang Xintai out, but in any case, he just needed to complete his task; the rest was none of his business.

“Is it related to Yanzi’s family?” Zhang Xintai’s expression suddenly became serious.

“Am I going alone?” he was somewhat puzzled.

“Sigh…” Li Heng had already prepared a script and nodded. “It’s best if only you know, after all… such matters… if they were to be publicized…”

His vague explanation immediately led Zhang Xintai to associate it with something unfavorable, and his expression grew even graver.

“Please lead the way, senior brother.”

With that, he clasped his fists, took off the conspicuous red festive coat from his body, hung it inside, and then followed Li Heng out through the side door.

On the other side.

Zhang Rongfang and a group of helpers, after a busy day, finally had the time to sit down to rest and eat.

A feast had been laid out all day; the neighbors came to eat, and even the beggars who came to their door received some token.

This was to bring a bit of festive cheer.

In just a single day, Master Zhang Xuan didn’t know how much he ended up spending.

In the courtyard of the new house, Zhang Rongfang and a group of people sat around a fire pit.

Each person held a large piece of pork bone with meat.

This was a marinated large bone meat, which they gnawed on while drinking mare’s milk wine warmed on the fire pit.

In a wooden tub big as a bath, there was also a large pile of seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Apples, bananas, pears, hawthorn, cucumbers, oranges—the array of colors was quite appetizing.

Zhang Rongfang looked away, always feeling that the bunch of things somehow resembled something unpleasant.

But with so many people, he couldn’t say anything, so he just refrained from grabbing any to eat.

He sipped the mare’s milk wine from his cup, took a big bite of the marinated pork meat.

This tasted far better than the meals he had at Qinghe Palace.

The faintly sweet wine flavor from the mare’s milk wine, combined with the creaminess, turned into a quite refreshing cool drink.

It was not too strong, so they could drink freely.

The marinated meat was also very authentic, soft and tasty, with a smoky fragrance wafting.

Zhang Rongfang ate while listening to the bragging and bantering of the people beside him.

The men sitting next to him were all involved in the transport business in the county town and had become friends with Zhang Xintai before.

Their news was much faster than that of ordinary people.

As they chatted leisurely, their conversation moved from eating and drinking to affairs of romance, and then to the various major news events happening recently.

Just as they talked, they happened to mention the investigation of Mi Gang.

“Sigh, speaking of which, how big is the impact of Mi Gang hiding military arms? Half the rice shops closed suddenly, and my wife’s at home trying to buy rice but can’t find any place to do so, it’s so inconvenient,” a man complained.

“There are still two stores in the east of the city to buy from, go there. Xu Shangsheng opened them. They were with Mi Gang before, but went independent later. So they weren’t implicated this time,” another said.

“That’s not enough though, when will this trouble end?”

“Don’t worry, within a week at most, Mi Gang will be back to normal,” someone laughed.

“How so?”

“The charge of hiding military arms sounds terrible, but actually, Mi Gang is a large enterprise, finding a couple of scapegoats to take the blame will settle it. The Shao family may lack many things, but money and resources are abundant,” the man explained.

“The matter seems serious, but anyone with some connections knows, where did those crossbows come from? Didn’t the county government officials sell them out themselves?”

“Exactly, otherwise how could the county governor, with his meager salary, afford to indulge in wine and women daily?” another agreed.

“I have a brother in the carriage business, and his horses have picked people up at night from the county office to go back to Mi Gang’s Four Seas Restaurant,” someone said in a low voice.

“Tsk tsk… See, weren’t my words right?”

“However, with this business blown open, Mi Gang is likely to bleed a heavy sum, and prices of rice and oil may rise again in a few days.”

“Indeed… rise and rise, that’s all they know,”

The group’s conversation began to shift towards the prices of rice, vegetables, and oil, comparing the prices in various places.

Listening on the side, Zhang Rongfang felt inner turmoil.

In the historical novels he read in his previous life, it was often mentioned that hiding military arms was tantamount to treason, yet now…

Corruption in Huaxin County has reached this level.

“Hey, brother. Doesn’t anyone higher up do anything about the county governor’s dealings in military arms?” Zhang Rongfang couldn’t help but pat the shoulder of the man who had just revealed the information.

“Do something? Those higher up sell even more vigorously, how could they?” the man waved his hand, “Little Taoist, you’re young, you’ve seen too little.”

He sighed, “Our Great Spirit sweeps across the land; as long as it’s on land, no one can stand against the Great Spirit cavalry, thus no border troops are stationed at the frontier, saving a lot on border defense costs.

But also because of such strong military might, for all those foreign territories conquered, vast numbers of various miscellaneous people are captured back as slave craftsmen laborers, so what’s consumed becomes more and more, anyway, it’s not us suffering at work but those drudges.”

“That’s right,” another man clapped his hands, “although we’re divided into four classes, it’s much better than those drudges. The more loot the Great Spirit Army brings back, the more money there is to buy things. Doesn’t that mean more enjoyment then?”

“And we’re on solid ground far from the sea, with no threats to the garrison, keeping arms is just waiting for them to waste away. So there’s stealthy arms dealing all over.

Rather than letting them gather dust and rust, better to quietly exchange for money. Anyway, after a while a batch of new ones will come, and the old ones have to be destroyed.

Our Great Spirit lacks much, but drudges are plenty, money aplenty!”

Zhang Rongfang also did not expect, that when these worldly men talked about national affairs, they’d sound so knowledgeable.

“I see.” he said in admiration, “You know a lot, old brothers.”

“A toast to all of you!”

He picked up the cup and took a hefty gulp of kumis.

The others also smiled and agreed, raising their cups to drink.

The atmosphere among the group became lively, and they began discussing where the Great Spirit would attack next. Each displayed a sense of command over the fate of the land.

Zhang Rongfang, however, was worried about the Mi Gang.

’If nothing’s going on with the Mi Gang, will they still continue with the previous plan?’

He originally thought everything was fine, feeling much calmer, but now he heard something troubling again.

Sitting in place, his worry grew.

If the Mi Gang continued with their attack plan, his master and senior brother could still be in danger.

Right now, with so many people around, the Mi Gang wouldn’t act immediately, but later, when the crowd dispersed, it could become very dangerous….

Zhang Rongfang grew more and more restless with every thought.

At once, he made up his mind and downed the entire cup of kumis in one go.

“Brothers, I’m feeling a bit dizzy; I need to go rest for a bit.”

“Go ahead, go ahead, Little Daoist, your alcohol tolerance is poor. Keep drinking, and you’ll get better. Haha.”

“Little Daoist, take some fruits to your room, so you won’t get hungry at night.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Zhang Rongfang gratefully replied.

Amidst the voices of the crowd, he immediately headed for the inner rooms.

The inner rooms had guest rooms specifically for resting.

Likewise, his senior brother, Zhang Xintai, should be in the inner rooms at this time.

Zhang Rongfang quickened his pace, heading swiftly inside; he had to tell his senior brother about the possibility of a Mi Gang ambush immediately.

But after making a round in the inner rooms, he couldn’t find any trace of his senior brother.

He casually stopped someone on the way who had come to help.

“Are you looking for the groom? I just saw him go out with your Qinghe Temple’s abbot; they seemed to be in a hurry.”

“Went out? This late? Where would they go?” Zhang Rongfang’s heart sank. Something felt amiss.

He immediately rushed out of the courtyard of the new house, looking left and right outside the gate.

The street was deserted, with few people around.

’So late, the city gates must be closed, they can’t leave the city. If I were the Mi Gang, the most likely action is to capture senior brother and detain him. Wait until the gates open in the morning….’

’No… no, that’s not right. Given the corruption level of the officials, opening the gates at night isn’t impossible…. If I were the Mi Gang… the most likely course of action is definitely not to make a move within the city….’

Standing at the gate, Zhang Rongfang’s thoughts raced. If his senior brother were truly implicated because of him, and something happened….

He….

“Rongfang? What are you doing standing here?” Suddenly a familiar voice called from the side.

Zhang Rongfang quickly looked over, seeing Zhang Xintai holding a small package, looking at him in confusion.

“Senior Brother!” Zhang Rongfang’s heart suddenly relaxed, and he quickly went to greet him.

*

*

*

South of the city, Wanglai Inn.

“Why the sudden change of plans? Weren’t we supposed to capture Zhang Xintai first?” Chen He asked, puzzled as he looked at Chen Zihan ahead.

He, Old Ding, and Chen Zihan were standing by the back door of the inn.

“Just received news that Zhang Xuan the old Daoist is returning to the mountain tonight. We must act now, or we won’t have such a good opportunity to catch him alone later on.”

Chen Zihan frowned and said.

“This old man can’t stay one more day even for his son’s betrothal?” Old Ding asked, puzzled.

“Perhaps he’s used to being a loner, or maybe a lot of people at his son’s engagement were paid to attend,” Chen Zihan replied calmly.

Having practiced the talisman to the fifth rank, and with the other two reaching the fourth rank in Profound Sand Palm, the three of them together could easily handle even someone at their peak at the sixth rank, provided their martial arts weren’t too strong.

Moreover, Zhang Xuan, at his age, with just one fifth rank… is hardly worth worrying about.

“Let’s go.” He waved his hand, leading them into the inn.

The other two followed closely behind.

The three ascended the stairs, quickly finding the room Zhang Xuan was staying in. Inside, the light flickered, with the faint sound of someone packing.

After exchanging glances, Old Ding lifted his right palm, channeling his strength, and aimed at the door.

Boom!

He slammed the door open and rushed inside.

The other two hesitated not for a moment, charging into the room together.

“Block the window!” Chen Zihan shouted. Lifting his gaze.

“…..”

Inside the room, a group of burly men stared at him simultaneously with seven or eight pairs of eyes.

A sharp, needle-like threat pulsed intensely through his nerves, shocking him to the core.

Zhang Xuan stood among the group, holding a half-packed bundle, staring at them in surprise.

He’d taken the opportunity of his son’s betrothal to secretly meet with other leaders of the underground rebellion and discuss future plans.

There was a total of seven people, two at the fifth rank, four at the fourth rank, and one at the sixth rank, each responsible for territory across six nearby counties, holding an interim conference.

As for the outcome….

Looking at Chen Zihan and the others who barged in.

The leaders’ eyes changed from surprise to a dangerous glint….

Their meeting must not be exposed….

Old Ding, Chen Zihan, and Chen He watched their faces turn from red to dark, gradually growing pale, deathly pale.

They… seemed to have stumbled upon something monumental…..

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep