Chapter 65: Strong Liquor and Horse Meat

Chapter 65: Strong Liquor and Horse Meat

Chapter 65: Strong Liquor and Horse Meat
Horse meat has a bad smell to begin with, and it is only roasted to about 50% doneness. When you chew it, blood comes out, but Fan Zhutian eats it with relish.

"Brother Zhang, you underestimated Fan."

"how do I say this?"

It was already early morning and the sky was slightly bright.

There was not enough firewood, so Fan Zhutian pulled out a beech tree as thick as his arm, and with a little force from his arms, the tree broke into four or five pieces, which he gathered on the fire, and the fire grew bigger.

The horse meat instantly released a layer of fat and gave off a meaty aroma.

He sat down and said, "When the Lin family held a martial arts competition to recruit a bride, I never thought of joining the Dragon Scale Society. I just wanted to make a name for myself and earn some money."

Zhang Yu saw that the horse meat was cooked to perfection before he put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly. "Traveling in the martial arts world alone is certainly free and easy. But a sect also has its own advantages. Secret manuals, famous teachers, elixirs, and brand protection are all difficult for one person to obtain."

Fan Zhutian shook his head and said, "If we don't share the same ideals, we can't work together. If it was just for the sake of fine clothes and delicious food, why would I leave Shandong and wander around the world?"

Zhang Yu was slightly surprised. It was unexpected for this rough and sturdy man to say this. In this world, let alone those small shrimps who live for money, women, and houses, even those big sect leaders standing on the top of the mountain, how many people pursue the so-called "Tao".

What they seek is nothing but fame and fortune, and they are not worthy of the word "Tao".

Fan Zhutian, who makes a living by assisting in boxing and mingles at the bottom of the underworld, also has a "Tao" that he pursues.

Zhang Yu thought about it and thought that he just heard this word from somewhere and used it casually, so he smiled and asked, "Brother Fan, what is the Tao?"

Fan Zhutian chuckled, rolled his throat, and swallowed the large piece of horse meat.

"If you become the minions of the Dragon Scale Society and the Shennong Gang, you can enjoy delicacies from the mountains and the sea, and wear gold and silver. But where does their money come from, Brother Zhang, do you know?"

"Not sure."

"Take the Shennong Gang for example. They own more than 4,000 acres of paddy fields and hundreds of acres of medicinal and tea gardens. The money and food they earn every year is enough to make the Sikong family rich and allow the gang leader to live a life of luxury."

"But what about the farmhands and tenants of the Shennong Gang? In this winter, people are freezing to death or starving to death every moment."

"They are still swallowing up surrounding land, turning more landless farmers into long-term laborers and tenants. In order to reduce the rent, those poor brothers asked me to help them. I only asked for a bowl of rice and a pot of wine, and I went."

The underworld forces like Shennong Gang have hundreds of disciples, many of whom are excellent in martial arts, and have been entrenched in the local area for generations, with complicated relationships. The three shifts of yamen runners in a county are of no use in front of the underworld forces.

The local officials were timid and afraid of causing trouble, and they did not dare to mobilize the army, so they often turned a blind eye.

In this way, as long as these underworld forces do not offend the gentry with deep-rooted roots, they can also get a share of the land.

"I'm doing this not only for them, but also for this damn world!"

"Those who till the land cannot even have a full meal."

"Those who raise silkworms cannot afford to wear a single piece of silk clothing."

"Those who grow medicinal herbs can only wait to die if they are sick."

"The whole family of the brick kiln owner lives in a thatched hut in the ground."

"Brother Zhang, Lao Fan is not a saint, but I was born in poverty and I dare not forget my roots. Whether it is the righteous way or the evil sect, I will not get involved with the underworld forces that suck the blood and fat of the people."

Zhang Yu was immediately filled with awe. He had not expected Fan Zhutian's Taoism to be so pure.

If such a person is allowed to wander around the world and be incompatible with the world, he will not have a good ending sooner or later.

He couldn't help but admire his talent, and was happy that in this bloody world, there was a unique person who held such ideals.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Brother Fan, have you ever heard of Qingfeng Village?"

"Yes! In such a short period of time, the underworld in Pingyang has been in turmoil. I heard that several underworld forces are preparing to join forces to wipe out Qingfeng Village." Zhang Yu asked again: "Qingfeng Village has erected a large apricot-yellow flag with the words 'Carrying out Justice on Behalf of Heaven'. Brother Fan, do you know about this?"

Fan Zhutian nodded and said, "You are quite arrogant, but I wonder if it is just for show."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "The leader of Qingfeng Village set seven village rules and strict discipline, prohibiting his men from harming the people. He also specifically opposed the bullies who were extremely resented by the people. He first killed Cao Long, then destroyed Dongliu Village, opened the granaries to release grain, and publicly tried Huang Batian. The people nearby all loved him very much."

"According to this statement, the leader of Qingfeng Village is indeed a good man."

"He also gathered the poor and landless people nearby and made them his guards to prevent them from freezing and starving to death."

Fan Zhutian was slightly surprised: "There is such a village? I didn't know that. How did Brother Zhang know so much about it?"

Zhang Yu looked at Fan Zhutian and laughed: "I am just an ordinary person, but I am the leader of Qingfeng Village."

Fan Zhutian was dumbfounded, thinking about what had just been said and how he was praised.

Qingfeng Village is a newly established village with little reputation, and no martial arts masters are willing to join it.

Currently, there are only three leaders in the stronghold, Zhang Yu, Zhao Xia and Liu Dachui, and they are in urgent need of manpower.

Fan Zhu was born with great strength, and he had also mastered the external martial arts Iron Sand Fist to perfection. He also had a heart that wanted to help the weak and punish the strong, which coincided with his philosophy in founding Qingfeng Village.

"Brother Fan, I won't beat around the bush. I want to invite you to join Qingfeng Village and take the fourth seat."

Fan Zhutian thought for a moment and said, "Brother Zhang saved my life—"

Zhang Yu interrupted him and said, "I have never thought of repaying a favor. If Brother Fan thinks so, then it is really like my heart shining on the moon, but the moon shines on the ditch. What I value is what Brother Fan said, 'If we are on different paths, we cannot make plans together'. In this damn world, there must be someone who can speak out for the thousands of cattle and horses!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Zhutian smiled and said, "In that case, Old Fan will follow Brother Zhang to Qingfeng Village to take a look."

Zhang Yu told the truth: "If we go to Qingfeng Village now, I'm afraid we will encounter the Longlin Society, Shennong Gang, and Wan Family besieging Yunwu Mountain."

Fan Zhutian laughed heartily and said, "So what? Just like before, I, Old Fan, will hold the iron rod, and Brother Zhang will hold the sword. Let's kill him three times in and three times out, how about that?"

Zhang Yu drank the wine in the leather bag and laughed, "With Brother Fan and I joining forces, the Pingyang Jianghu is nothing to worry about."

After a night of noisy eating of horse meat and drinking of strong liquor, the two men were both a little tired.

There might be more fierce battles to fight during the day, so Fan Zhutian took a rest by the fire two hours before dawn. He soon fell asleep and snored like thunder.

Zhang Yu placed the black sword behind his head, staring at the crescent moon in the sky, unable to fall asleep for a moment.

He was an ordinary gang member and knew only bits and pieces about the history of the Sun God Cult.

The history of this world has changed beyond recognition since the early Yuan Dynasty.

At the end of the previous dynasty, the country was in turmoil. In Anhui, there was a merchant named Zhu who sold candles. He was chivalrous and fond of martial arts. He invited his fellow traders to gather a crowd of 100,000 people using candles as a signal to start an uprising.

At that time, Han's Taizu was his deputy. The two of them named their country "Ming", dominated several provinces, and became the number one righteous army in the world.

Later, Han Taizu led an army to seize the old capital of the Song Dynasty. His reputation soared, and he defeated all the heroes, and then the world was unified. However, the merchant surnamed Zhu drowned on the way, leaving only his young son and his old subordinates, and was gradually eliminated.

Those former followers of the Zhu family who were unwilling to surrender hid themselves in the underworld and established the Sun and Moon Sect.

"Although they still have slogans that are different from the temperament of ordinary gangs, such as 'Benevolence, righteousness, and wisdom, unifying the underworld for thousands of years', they have eventually degenerated from a group with ideals into a complete underworld force."

This is Zhang Yu's evaluation of the current Sun and Moon Sect.

(End of this chapter)