"Master, it's time to set out!" Li Da said as he walked into the room. He glanced at Uncle Zhang and gave a mischievous grin.
"Uncle Zhang, we're about to leave. Shouldn't you get ready?" I asked the beaming Uncle Zhang. He was still immersed in the praise I had just showered on him. Only after quite a while did he react. Looking at Li Da and me, he gave a concealing cough before saying to me:
"I'll be ready in a moment. I don't have much to pack." Uncle Zhang rose and turned to head into the room. Suddenly, Zhang Yu emerged from inside, carrying four or five large and small bundles. Grinning, he said to his father, Uncle Zhang:
"Father, I've already packed everything. Everything is ready; we can set out at any time." Zhang Yu was clearly overjoyed after hearing Uncle Zhang's sincere expression of fatherly love. The usually cool and aloof Zhang Yu was all smiles today. The number of times he smiled today would probably surpass an entire ordinary month.
I looked at them and smiled as well. The little bamboo hut was filled with harmony and joy. I shouted:
"Let's go!"
By the time we reached the foot of the mountain, Brother Wang and Sister Yu had already loaded the large chests of gold and silver into the carriages. Seeing us arrive, Sister Yu stepped forward and said:
"Young Master, everything is ready. We didn't have enough carriages, so we took two from the mountain stronghold. The iron chests are in the carriage in the middle. Shall we depart at once? Please give the order!"
I looked at the people around me. From now on, they would be my most fundamental core. Our stage would be the capital—the place where we would show ourselves, and where I, Zhang Xingfeng, would first show myself to the Zhang Family.
"Move out!"
I roared, and everyone immediately climbed into their assigned carriages. The wheels began to turn, and we continued our journey toward the capital.
Father, watch carefully. I'll let you see what I'm capable of. I'll make you regret your decision back then. Sitting in the carriage, I gazed at the azure sky outside the window and thought to myself.
"Ah! We've finally arrived! Hahaha..." A group of people shouted outside the gates of the Ming Dynasty's capital.
After nearly six days of travel, we had finally reached our destination. The exhaustion of those six days turned into wild joy in that instant.
Looking at this city built from gigantic granite blocks, I cried out in my heart: Capital, I'm here! I, Zhang Xingfeng, am here!
After our group of nine entered the Ming Dynasty's Silver Reserve Bank and exchanged our money for banknotes worth eight hundred and fifty thousand taels, we went to a restaurant nearby—the Wind and Rain Tower. What we had not expected was that this restaurant was actually the finest in the entire capital. Its exterior was ordinary, but its interior... was simply incredible!
I truly admired the person who had designed this restaurant. They had actually altered the Heavenly Wind Silver Rain Formation, transforming it from a formation for battle into one that served people. The main hall had eight small rooms reserved for honored guests, positioned respectively in the eight directions of Kan, Li, Dui, Zhen, Xun, Qian, Kun, and Gen.
The Heavenly Wind Silver Rain Formation had originally used wind and rain to muddle an opponent's vision. After being altered, however, it allowed a faint breeze to drift continuously through the hall, along with a trace of rain-laden air. It made the entire hall feel fresh and comfortable. Eating and drinking inside did not feel stuffy as it did elsewhere; instead, it felt as though one were in the mountains and wilderness after a rain.
Naturally, we chose one of the small rooms for honored guests. There were even better guest rooms upstairs, but those were not places one could enter with money alone.
At the table, after seeing that my three disciples did not dare eat before me, I said, "Help yourselves." Li Da and Li Er immediately began a lightning-fast contest to snatch food. My eldest brother, Lang Feng, was only ten years old, yet he was clearly much better than my two seventeen-year-old disciples. As for my third disciple, there was even less need to mention him. Usually, he always wore a cool expression and might only smile a couple of times around his own people.
Still, that had its advantages. The moment we entered the restaurant, more than half the women in the hall had cast soul-stealing looks at him. Yet he acted as if nothing had happened. We immediately dragged him into this private room to escape.
"Brother Wang, we'll be settling down in the capital from now on. After you finish eating, take Sister Yu, Li Da, and Li Er to find a large manor. The main requirement is that it be spacious. It doesn't matter if it's expensive—we'll be living there for a long time. Most importantly, the foundations must be solid. I plan to build underground chambers. That's all. Go take a look after eating. For now, we'll stay in the guest rooms behind the Wind and Rain Tower. I've already had the waiter reserve five superior rooms for us. Brother Wang and Sister Yu will share one room; Li Da and Li Er will share one; Eldest Brother and First Wife will share one; Zhang Yu and Uncle Zhang will share one; and I'll have one to myself. All right, that's settled. Let's eat." I picked up my bowl and stretched my chopsticks toward the table. Then I froze. Half the dishes on the entire table were already gone. Only the food in front of me had not been touched.
I looked at my two fine disciples. Li Da and Li Er gave me honest, simple smiles. Seeing their already empty bowls, I knew exactly who had wiped out the food! Just as I was about to scold them, they spoke first.
"Master, we haven't had enough to eat. Can we have yours?" Two pairs of huge eyes stared at me, full of expectation.
"Scram, you unfilial disciples! You're infuriating me to death!" I cursed loudly. Li Da and Li Er froze and looked at me pitifully. This was the first time I had ever scolded them!
"Can't you ask the waiter to bring more food and rice? You actually want to eat mine? If you eat my food, what am I supposed to eat?" I scolded the two fellows with a smile.
Li Da and Li Er blanked out for a moment, then finally understood. They shouted, "Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!" Li Da immediately turned to the waiter standing by the door and said:
"Waiter, bring me soy-braised pig trotters, wild mountain mushroom-braised ribs, duck with soybeans, braised chicken feet with soybeans, century egg rolls, roasted peppers, hanging-roasted squab, honey-glazed pork knuckles, fresh fish prepared in a new style, King Pork Knuckles, spicy river snails..."
I was dumbfounded. The only people at the table who remained calm were Li Er, Zhang Yu, and Uncle Zhang.
Watching the smiling waiter listen once through before loudly repeating the entire order from beginning to end without missing a single word, I was stunned. I could only sigh. "The quality of the waiters at the Wind and Rain Tower really is high. No wonder it's the finest restaurant in the capital."
After eating and drinking our fill, Brother Wang and the others went to look for a manor, while I comfortably returned to my room to rest.
Bang, bang. "Young Master, it's Brother Wang. Open the door."
Heavens, I had only just gotten onto the bed! I had not even taken off my clothes! Brother Wang was already here? He had only been out for a few minutes!
Though I was angry, I could only helplessly go open the door for Brother Wang.
"Brother Wang, what's going on? I've only just gotten onto the bed—I haven't even lain down yet—and you're already here. Didn't I tell you to find a manor? Why are you still here?" I vented my dissatisfaction at Brother Wang. Brother Wang and Sister Yu had watched me grow up, and only in front of them could I act a little spoiled like a young master.
"Young Master, I've already found a manor. It's north of this restaurant, and it's enormous. The asking price is two hundred thousand taels of silver. It used to be the residence of a prince, but that prince died long ago without leaving any descendants, so the Emperor reclaimed it. Back then, the Emperor set the price at two hundred thousand taels, but no one has bought it in a whole year. Mainly because it's expensive, and also because it's too large—ordinary people simply have no use for it. I heard that the prince who once lived there was an enthusiast of formations. During his lifetime, he gathered countless masters of formations, so the entire rear garden and some of the buildings cannot be entered at all. A great formation was set up outside them, and it was jointly constructed by the ten greatest experts of that time. Now, no one can open that formation. That is also why no one has bought the place. Even if they did, they would not be able to enter the rear garden." Brother Wang told me the general situation of the manor.
"Oh, it used to be a prince's residence, and there's even a rather formidable formation outside the rear garden. Interesting. Good, good. I'll go take a look with you right away. I'll straighten up my clothes first. Go call everyone else, and we'll all take a look at our future new home. Hurry up!" I told Brother Wang.
"Yes, Young Master. I'll see to it immediately." Brother Wang answered, then turned and went to notify the others.
I walked to the bronze mirror and carefully straightened my clothes. Not bad. This child was rather cute after all.
When I stepped out of my room, I found everyone already waiting outside. I felt a little embarrassed, so I composed my face and said to them:
"Come on, everyone. Let's see what our future place looks like. Let's go!"
"Ha, ha! We've got our own territory in the capital now!" Li Da was always like this. No matter how many times I told him, it never worked.
"Eldest Brother, how big do you think Master will give us a room?" Li Er, that idiot, was nearly the same as his elder brother. How had I ended up accepting disciples like these?
"Nonsense! We're Master's first disciples, so of course we'll have large, excellent rooms. Does that even need thinking about? Sigh, having a younger brother like you is the sorrow of my life, Li Da's sorrow. Ha, luckily I have an incomparably wonderful master. Master is—" Li Da had started flattering me again.
"Shut up!"
I shot them a glance, turned, and headed down the northern road. After fewer than fifty paces, an enormous manor appeared before me. Two massive stone lions stood at the entrance, as mighty as they had been in years past, seeming to gaze proudly upon all who entered the prince's residence.
Two constables leaned against either side of the main gate, clutching their large sabers tightly to their chests. They were already drowsy and on the verge of sleep.
"Hey, officers, we want to buy this manor. Hey!" Sister Yu ran forward to speak to the two constables, but that final shout was far too loud. Poor officers!
"Who? Who disturbed this lord's pleasant dream? Ah, what did you just say? You said you want to buy this manor? Is that true?" The older constable could hardly believe that this group before him wanted to buy the enormous manor that had remained unsold for a year.
Sister Yu said loudly, "It's true. I'm telling you clearly: we want to buy this manor."
"Heavens! I can finally leave this place! A year! For an entire year, I've stood here in wind and rain. Heaven has finally opened its eyes!" the constable shouted.
The other constable beside him muttered, "I can finally leave this place and go make something of myself. My wife hasn't let me into her bed for half a year..."
Seeing this, we were all somewhat bewildered. Only after a while did we realize that the two of them were simply too happy.
"A-Jun, hurry and go report this to the magistrate's office. I'll take these guests inside to look around the prince's residence. Esteemed guests, please follow this humble one inside and have a careful look!" This fellow had only just woken up and shouted at us, yet now he immediately put on a humble manner. It seemed he knew that people who could buy this manor were not people a small fry like him could afford to provoke!
The constable took out the key and opened the gates of the former prince's residence. Together, we walked toward our future home!
Before you continue