You Are Bandits, Bandits to the End

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

The funeral procession stretched for half a li, and all the younger generations in the village had come to see him off.

For an ordinary commoner family, this was the utmost honor.

Old Master Zheng was over seventy; it counted as a blessed funeral.

After the burial, a feast was laid out in the village. Zhang Yuan and the others had intended to leave, but they were forcibly kept behind.

Seated at the main table, the prominent figures of Zheng Family Village attended them with great care, not daring to urge them to drink.

Zhang Yuan never drank, in pursuit of the ultimate heights of saber technique. Young Master Tao had wanted to drink, but after Zhang Yuan shot him a glare, he could only wave his hand and refuse.

As they ate, they spoke of Old Master Zheng. Everyone said that he had encountered Second Master Zhang, whose righteousness towered to the heavens; otherwise, he would not have lasted through the past three or four years.

Others said that even if Zheng Qiang were still alive, the old master would never have received such a grand funeral.

After a while, Yao Gao and Fang Dahe came over carrying wine bowls. Everyone else at the table hurriedly stood and made room for them.

They all knew the two were bandits.

"Second Master, I am Kong Baitang of the Kong Family in Liaoyang Town. Elder Brother Zheng and I were cousins. My cousin has ridden the crane away, and Zheng has come to see him off one last time." Behind the two men, a plump old man clasped his hands, his face full of smiles.

Young Master Tao nodded, glanced at the two men from Qingshan Village, then looked towards Kong Baitang. "My condolences, Master Kong."

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

If he had not had business to seek from Second Master Zhang, why would he possibly have come to Zheng Family Village to attend the funeral of some cousin so distant they could barely be connected by eight poles?

What grief was there for him to restrain?

Zhang Yuan merely nodded in acknowledgment and did not exchange greetings.

That made Kong Baitang somewhat awkward.

After lightly clearing his throat, he stepped forward and sat down at the table, following the momentum. "Kong has come to see Second Master because I have a matter to discuss."

Kong Baitang poured himself a cup of wine, held it in hand, and said, "My Kong Family's merchant caravans travel through three counties and two towns, and we also conduct business at the border."

"Over the years, we have dealt often with the brothers of Qingshan Village. Seeing them earn such hard money has truly been difficult to bear."

Yao Gao and Fang Dahe looked towards Zhang Yuan with uneasy eyes. Only when they saw no change in his expression did they finally let out a breath.

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

Mountain bandits used to live by making one haul, then drinking and eating meat to their hearts' content, only descending the mountain again once they ran out of money.

After Zhang Yuan had dragged them down the mountain, they opened roads, built cableways, and were forbidden from robbing homes and plundering families. Life for the people of Green Mountain Eighteen Villages had truly been hard.

Over the past two years, the trade routes of Luyang Prefecture had gradually flourished. Only once more merchant caravans began using the cableways and mountain roads opened by Qingshan Village did their lives gradually improve.

Now, quite a few bandit strongholds were envious of Qingshan Village.

"It was Second Master and Master Tao who gave us stable lives," Yao Gao and Fang Dahe hurriedly cut in. "Our lives are honest now, and we live with peace of mind."

Hearing their words, Kong Baitang gave a light laugh.

"I merely feel anxious seeing the brothers guarding wealth without knowing it."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhang Yuan and Young Master Tao, lowering his voice. "Second Master, I have some connections that can sell the Iron Rope Pulley System made by Qingshan Village."

"As long as the two of you can make the cableways and pulleys, I can sell them."

He extended his hand and spread his palm. "I will take as many as you have. Fifty-fifty."

"No, sixty-forty will do as well."

With a wine cup in one hand, he smiled at Zhang Yuan and Young Master Tao.

These two had considerable reputations, he admitted.

The four words Righteous and Loyal alone were a golden signboard.

But one had risen from the grassroots, while the other was merely a down-and-out scholar.

When he had previously asked the people of Qingshan Village to introduce him to Second Master Zhang, he had thought Second Master Zhang would be a big man in his thirties or early forties. He had not expected him to be such a green kid.

Such a person might act with loyalty and place great weight on sentiment, but when it came to knowledge and experience, could he compare to the head of the Kong Family, who had controlled a major family for decades?

Take those iron ropes and pulleys. Qingshan Village used them to build cableways, earning a little hard money every day hauling goods.

Did Second Master Zhang truly not know that such things could sell for sky-high prices?

As long as these two nodded, and handed the iron ropes and pulleys over to him and the Kong Family from now on, the Kong Family could become a major power in less than three years.

Of course, the best outcome would be for him to master the forging of these pulleys and iron ropes himself.

This Second Master Zhang was said to possess no small degree of cultivation and had quite a name in the martial world. It would not be easy to seize them by force; he would need to use some methods.

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

Build cableways elsewhere?

In Zhang Erhe's eyes, the Iron Rope Pulley System was only for building cableways.

Sure enough, seeing someone was worse than hearing of them. Righteous and Loyal Second Master Zhang was not as remarkable as the tales claimed.

Kong Baitang grinned. "Naturally, it is a good thing. Second Master, you are Righteous and Loyal. Kong merely wishes to help Second Master while making money, and share in a little merit as well."

"Since ancient times, building bridges and paving roads have been deeds of merit."

"Mm, put that way, it is true." Young Master Tao set down his bamboo chopsticks and straightened his back. "It is a good thing."

"Then—" Kong Baitang's face was full of delight. Just as he was about to press his advantage and settle the matter, Zhang Yuan had already stood up.

"Today is Old Master Zheng's blessed funeral. Let us not discuss such matters."

Young Master Tao nodded and stood up.

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

The village head and stewards of Zheng Family Village, who had been watching from the side, quickly came out to see them off.

Kong Baitang, still seated where he was, had a shifting expression. He raised the wine cup in hand, drained it in one gulp, then spat it out.

"Pah, such vile wine..."

He stood up and watched Zhang Yuan and the others depart, a glint of light showing in his eyes.

"Master Tao seems to understand that this business is profitable. I need to find a way to contact him again."

"I thought Second Master Zhang was some formidable figure. Looking at him now, he is merely a brat whose hair has not even grown in, nothing but an empty reputation."

After following Zhang Yuan outside the village, Yao Gao and Fang Dahe could no longer hold back. They stepped closer and said in low voices, "Second Master, we have something to report."

Zhang Yuan stopped and turned to look at them.

"Um, Second Master, it is like this." Yao Gao hesitated, then hardened his resolve and said, "Zhao Changchun, Sixth Master Zhao of Jiulin County, wishes to arrange a meeting with you."

"Cloud-Treading Tiger Zhao Changchun?" Zhang Yuan raised a brow slightly. "The Zhao Family of Jiulin County does not seem to have a very good reputation. They have ties to quite a few mountain bandits, do they not?"

Yao Gao and Fang Dahe immediately revealed awkward expressions.

Cloud-Treading Tiger Zhao Changchun was a Xiantian Realm expert who had been famous for ten years. It was only by relying on his strength that the Zhao Family had expanded to control Jiulin County's underworld.

Zhang Yuan saying that the Zhao Family had ties to mountain bandits was putting it kindly.

The truth was that the mountain lords of several strongholds in Jiulin County were all controlled by the Zhao Family.

The two secretly exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads. "Sixth Master Zhao means to make you the common master of the mountain strongholds in both counties."

"Second Master, you also know that trade routes in Luyang Prefecture have flourished lately. Qingshan Village has earned a little hard money through its cableways and iron ropes, and quite a few martial-world fellows nearby have grown jealous."

"Sixth Master Zhao's proposal is that if we can build up our momentum, with Second Master gaining fame and the Zhao Family and the brothers providing strength, we can seize control of all the trade routes within three hundred li. Then making money will be easy."

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

He had long grown accustomed to only listening, never speaking, when it came to the martial-world affairs around Zhang Yuan.

With his martial path severed, he no longer counted as a man of the martial world.

"I do not wish to get too involved in martial-world affairs." Zhang Yuan shook his head. "If you feel that guarding the cableways alone makes for a hard life, you can take this opportunity to form a merchant caravan and travel between Fengtian and the border."

After saying that, Zhang Yuan walked straight ahead.

Young Master Tao came to Yao Gao's side and said, "I estimate that the authorities will soon prohibit such disorderly trade routes. How much you can earn is your own affair."

Yao Gao and Fang Dahe remained where they stood, watching Zhang Yuan and the others leave, their expressions complicated.

"You two are bandits, bandits to the end. Some bonds of affection only grow fainter the farther you walk."

"He is Boss Duan's comrade-in-arms, but he is not your comrade-in-arms. No matter how resounding his reputation for being Righteous and Loyal, he cannot truly give the brothers of Qingshan Village good lives."

A voice sounded from behind them.