Growth

The supply manager handed over the account books honestly, not expecting Zhao Changhe to understand them at all and even intending to explain a thing or two, but it turned out that Zhao Changhe actually understood.

"Motherfucker, no wonder our supplies are so pitifully low! The bastard took several hundred taels of silver in one go, loaded up three carts of rice, and how could they even have the nerve to take those pheasant meat? Those were hunted by my Luo Qi!" Zhao Changhe shook the ledger and said irritably, "That fellow Fang hasn't done a single useful thing, yet his appetite is quite large. He even has the nerve to claim he's looking for treasures-he found a dick!"

Put that way, those meats were hunted by everyone, and there were so many small squads, so how did they suddenly become hunted by your Luo Qi... The supply manager didn't dare to make a sound.

"He's the helmsman, and our mountain stronghold is still subordinate to him anyway. There's nothing we can do if he wants to take them." Another bandit nearby said very helplessly, "Boss, what do we do now? Hunting beasts has already been difficult lately, and there's still some time before spring... Should we..."

As he spoke, he made a slicing gesture. "Previously, Boss Luo went to raid Zhang Village, but was messed up by Yue Hongling, resulting in us getting nothing... Shall we go again?"

This bandit was none other than the one who had come to report that Yue Hongling was passing by earlier. His full name was Wang Dashan, which surprisingly sounded a bit like a foil to Zhao Changhe's name. It was the first time Zhao Changhe realized how rustic his own name sounded.

This Wang Dashan was basically a hoodlum from a nearby town who had defected to become a mountain bandit, not a good person by any means. However, there were no good people in the mountain stronghold anyway, and considering that tip-off, Zhao Changhe had promoted him to deputy stronghold leader.

Seeing Wang Dashan looking eager to try, Zhao Changhe rubbed his temples with a bit of a headache.

These bandits really had no brains...

"Even with all its turmoil, the Great Xia hasn't fallen yet! Zhang Village just narrowly escaped disaster once-aren't you afraid of going back for more? Obviously, they've already reported it to the authorities, and there's a high probability that government soldiers are keeping an eye on the place now. If the magistrate here is an efficient sort, the soldiers might already be preparing to organize a bandit suppression campaign... And you still want to go again at a time like this? Just how many Profound Passes have you broken through, Wang Dashan?"

Wang Dashan: "..."

Zhao Changhe had a massive headache. He had thought everyone was like Luo Qi, with four or five Profound Passes opened while pretending to be weak? Not a single one of you can even practice a Turning Slash properly up to now. Are you going to court death relying on a bunch of crooked melons and cracked dates like you...

Originally, Helmsman Fang was stationed in the city and should have been responsible for handling official matters. At least he should have been able to provide advance warnings for any signs of trouble. Unfortunately, it would be a blessing if this helmsman didn't trip them up himself, so obviously he couldn't be counted on.

Fortunately, in this kind of remote and desolate small town, even if there were government soldiers, there weren't many-probably just a few city guards plus some yamen runners. The possibility of them entering the mountains to suppress bandits in this freezing, snowy weather was quite small. Even if they really came, there was nothing to fear, but going out to roam around casually would make it very easy to flip the cart.

Zhao Changhe pondered for a long time and finally said, "The supplies in the stronghold aren't even enough to feed everyone for a day. No matter what ideas we come up with, they won't solve our current urgent plight, and funds and provisions aren't raised like this without any regard for basic principles. Helmsman Fang is obviously doing this on purpose to stir up trouble and hand us a difficult problem. How fucking low-level."

Wang Dashan asked in surprise, "How could the helmsman dare? Boss, you're on terms with the Saintess..."

"Heh..." Zhao Changhe chuckled. The so-called backing existed on the surface, but anyone with a slightly clearer head would know it didn't...

Too many people heard Vermilion Bird say to one's face that there could be no thoughts between men and women. If Luo Qi truly wanted to be the so-called Saintess, she would probably not even dare to express friendship. If she behaved too solicitously, she would inevitably be considered as still harboring old feelings, and he, Zhao Changhe, might even be killed off by the Four Symbols Cult first. The Demon Cult was a demon cult after all; nobody would reason too much with you.

Of course, Fang Buping was also stupid enough. Luo Qi couldn't look after you on the surface, but wouldn't it be as simple as anything for her to give you small shoes to wear later? He truly had no idea what was going on in that guy's head; was he blinded by jealousy?

"What he thinks doesn't matter," Zhao Changhe said leisurely. "I only believe in landing one punch hard enough to save myself a hundred punches later. A few of you come with me into the city, and once we get the money, we'll purchase supplies right there in town."

Wang Dashan was dumbfounded. "G-Go into the city? Where are we going to get money?"

"Isn't there plenty of money right inside Helmsman Fang's garrison?" Zhao Changhe strode down the mountain. "If anyone scoops things out of my hands, I'll make him spit them back up! Let's go."

Wang Dashan: "???"

To enter the city, the first problem to face was the wanted posters.

So far, Zhao Changhe had not learned any soaring lightness skills. The footwork matching the Blood Baleful Art was meant for maneuvering and advancing, and the explosive power bonus brought by the cultivation method was meant for running away-at best, it could let you jump a little higher, but trying to scale a city wall was still quite difficult.

Mixing in a martial arts fantasy world without lightness skills meant losing the most basic casual elegance, which was truly a bit of a pain in the ass. But there was no help for it, because Instructor Sun's own lightness skill was as miserable as a wild bull climbing a tree; after all, he was just a fellow who practiced external martial arts.

However, practicing Xia Longyuan's internal cultivation method these past few days had already yielded considerable results, achieving true dual cultivation of internal and external arts. Once he had internal energy, he could naturally use some lightness techniques. He would just have to see where he could acquire a set later on, which should be much easier than finding a cultivation method.

Arriving at the city gates with trepidation and looking at the wanted poster from afar, Zhao Changhe smiled.

First Seat Tang's painting skills were truly fucking awesome. He had rendered his facial features extremely, extremely accurately, almost like a photograph, even drawing the blood scar that hadn't yet formed a scar on his face back then, which happened to match his current scar.

The problem, however, was that back then Zhao Changhe was a college student who shaved every day, whereas now he had grown a full beard; back then he had short hair, but now it was half-long and extremely messy, making him look like a trendy vagrant; back then he still retained a scholarly campus air, but now he possessed a deep-rooted bandit aura and a powerful momentum, spoke in a booming voice, and swore constantly-his entire temperament had changed completely.

Zhao Changhe suddenly wondered if he stood in front of his former classmates now, they probably wouldn't dare recognize him. No wonder Yue Hongling had that dumbfounded, adorably dazed look when she saw him that day.

Anyway, with this appearance, even if he swaggered into the city, the guards might not necessarily recognize him... Besides, what guards here were ever dedicated and careful with meticulous inspections? They were all acting listless, taking advantage of the snow-free day to bask in the sun. Anyone entering was simply stopped for an entry tax, and judging by their attitude, they didn't even look closely at people's faces.

That being said, the restrictions that the so-called wanted posters placed on him were actually not as great as he had previously imagined.

Zhao Changhe's mood suddenly improved as he strode into the city.

True to form, none of the guards bothered to give him a hard time. They listlessly blocked his way, stretched out a big hand, and couldn't even be bothered to speak.

Zhao Changhe fished out a few copper coins and placed them in the guard's palm. The guard waved his hand, and the whole group went straight in without a hitch.

"Government soldiers are just like this? A wanted criminal is standing right in front of them, and they can't even be bothered to take a second look." Wang Dashan sneered under his breath. "This imperial court really is about finished."

Zhao Changhe slanted a glance at him and offered no comment.

Although he didn't want to acknowledge a wild father, he knew that if he really wanted to claim one, he could probably genuinely become an imperial prince, so his mindset had unconsciously shifted a bit, as if this realm suddenly had some connection to him.

If it were a time of peace and prosperity, acting as a fake prince would probably be quite exhilarating... Alas. Pity it was this kind of era; the probability was that one would just end up as a pure scapegoat tool, so he'd rather forget it.

He strode toward the location of Fang Buping's Sub-Helm. It was a luxurious residence covering several acres, carved with beams and painted pillars, not low-key in the slightest. Dozens of Blood God Cult members lived inside, and there were even a mess of maidservants and menservants.

With the mountains high and the emperor far away, serving as a Sub-Helm master naturally meant prioritizing enjoyment. Who the fuck had the patience to live through days in a freezing, snowy mountain stronghold... Zhao Changhe had spent over a month in the stronghold, and apart from seeing Fang Buping on the very first day, he hadn't caught sight of him even half a time since. From this, one could understand why the North Mang treasure-hunting mission had been handled with such inefficiency and incompetence.

Zhao Changhe arrived at the entrance, where two cult members were acting as gate guards. When they saw Zhao Changhe approach, their eyes went wide for a moment. "Zhao... Oh, what brings Boss Zhao here? No, how dare you enter the city..."

"Tsk, truly brothers from the city; even your speech has grown all literary and refined, so different from us mountain folk, huh."

"...The cult requires us to study scriptures at least."

"Cultured men, I admire you." Zhao Changhe smiled amiably. "It seems I too must ask Helmsman Fang for a few books to read... Ah, my main reason for coming here today is just to visit Helmsman Fang. How are his elder self's injuries?"

The cult members couldn't think of a reason to stop Zhao Changhe. Despite his short tenure, Zhao Changhe was now a formal cult member, so they could only lead him through the gates. "The helmsman's injuries are quite severe, and he is currently recuperating. He will surely be very happy to see the stronghold leader come to visit."

Zhao Changhe asked nonchalantly, "Has he seen a physician?"

"Naturally he has seen one. There are master physicians within the cult as well."

"Then Helmsman Fang should be fine very soon, right? The times are unsettled; without the helmsman's strength holding down the fort, everyone feels insecure..."

"He can't even get out of bed yet. The physician said it will be hard for him to make a full recovery within two or three months, and if he recovers for three months, it'll be good enough if he retains half his original strength... We'll just have to see if he heals better once spring comes."

"Uh, the cult's elites have withdrawn. Since the helmsman is injured so severely, are the guards at the Sub-Helm strong enough? Do the brothers need me to transfer some men over?"

"Though there aren't any top experts left, there are still quite a few in the first and second tiers of the Profound Pass. What kind of top experts would a remote, desolate town like this demand? It should be enough."

Zhao Changhe smiled and leisurely followed behind as they entered the house. He felt that his political depth had indeed grown a bit deeper by now.

Coming to find Fang Buping wasn't necessarily to get straight into a fight; understanding the situation was more important. Whether it was the state of Fang Buping's injuries or the strength of the Sub-Helm in the city, he had to get a clear picture in his mind first before plotting a course of action.

Yet Wang Dashan and the others all assumed this was just the stronghold leader's stubborn temper flaring up again, much like when he beat Zhang Quan to death.

Impulsive and hot-tempered-sometimes that was a very useful persona.

Practiced with a little demon girl who had never told a single truth from start to finish... perhaps he really had grown up after all.