Chapter 412: Ximen Qing Has Fallen Ill

In the blink of an eye, five days passed. Wang Yan had also finished wandering around Yanggu County and understood some of the situation in the surrounding areas, and of course, information related to Liang Shan.

Currently on the mountain was that White-Clad Scholar, Wang Lun, who was killed by Lin Chong. He was a player whose studies were very poor; he wasn't even a proper scholar. Chao Gai was still honestly sitting as the village head in Qingxi Village, just like Wang Yan—both were village heads and wealthy families in the countryside. He made many friends with local ruffians and had quite a reputation. Song Jiang, of course, was no exception, acting as his "Protector of Righteousness" and "Timely Rain" in Yuncheng. He was connected in both the underworld and the official world, had a very wide network, and was a hegemon in Yuncheng. There were other relatively famous figures, such as Lin Chong, Chai Jin, and the like, who had not yet made any moves.

This stuff naturally had circles too. Ordinary people didn't know much about the affairs of local ruffians. As long as they weren't bullied, they didn't care. It was hard enough to stay alive; where would they have the heart to understand who the social big brothers were? Moreover, in this era, information transmission wasn't fast. Many people hadn't even left their own county. No matter how majestic this or that person was, or how big their reputation was, it was no big deal.

Therefore, Wang Yan learned about the news of local ruffians from his own guards. The sixteen guards had decent martial arts. Wang Yan had sparred with them one-on-one; he could basically solve it in three moves in unarmed combat. If they took weapons and formed a simple formation for a head-on collision, he couldn't beat these sixteen people. If the space was large and he could kite them for a while, it wouldn't be a big problem. Of course, if he wore full armor, he could kill these sixteen people even in a head-on collision.

It was mainly because these sixteen people were not mediocre. After all, not just anyone was qualified to be a guard. These people were either from the battlefield or had some master's teachings, having practiced martial arts for years; they were people who couldn't be approached easily and could be considered strong men. They came because Master Wang paid well, so they defected. Therefore, they knew a lot about the affairs of the Great Song underworld. Coupled with the fact that they had close friends outside, they were basically players on the front line of eating melons regarding underworld hot events.

And the Wu Song that Wang Yan asked the housekeeper to inquire about also had a lead.

It was breakfast time again. Master Wang was still eating breakfast alone when Wang Fusheng sat opposite and said: "Young Master, that Wu Song has already been found."

"Tell me."

"He indeed has some courage and strength. It is said that he is invincible in Qinghe and no one dares to provoke him. He is twenty-three this year and has nothing to do all day, claiming to be brave and causing trouble. He has an older brother at home. It's strange to say, Wu Song is eight feet tall, but that Wu Da is just a short, stunted man. They have had no parents since they were young, and it was Wu Da who raised Wu Song, so Wu Song is used to listening to his brother. It's just that he is fond of wine; when drunk, he doesn't care about anything and often fights with others, having suffered many lawsuits. His short, stunted brother is truly not easy; he sells steamed buns along the street all day to make a living and still has to clean up the trouble for this younger brother.

When our people found that Wu Song, the guy was drunk and knocked someone to the ground with a punch, unconscious. Thinking he had killed someone, he was in a panic and wanted to run away to avoid disaster. It was our people who remembered the young master's instructions, saw that the person wasn't dead, and used silver to apologize and settle the matter. This time, having caused trouble, it wasn't good to hang around in Qinghe County, and it just so happened that the young master had the intention to invite him, so the person who went made the decision to bring his brother along to defect. In three more days, they should be here."

Wu Song was currently a street ruffian who had achieved nothing. He had no proper business, ran away when things happened, didn't care about his own brother, and had little responsibility as a man. It was only after meeting Song Jiang that fate allowed him to mature. Fighting the tiger, becoming a constable, killing Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian to sacrifice to his deceased brother, drunkenly beating Jiang Menshen, blood-splattering the Mandarin Duck Tower, etc. —in each and every one of these, there was naturally the sinister nature of the human heart; without growing up, he wouldn't have lived long.

Of course, how Wu Song was didn't matter; it was only important to get the time clear now. There was still more than a year before Chao Gai and the others robbed the birthday gift. Although he didn't intend to have any entanglement with Liang Shan, it was still possible to make some arrangements in advance.

"How is the progress of other matters?"

"Young Master, the pig matter is being done. In two more months, we can supply forty-three households. We have also inquired about farmers who are skilled in pig farming, so breeding next year won't be a problem either. Carpenters, blacksmiths, and other craftsmen are still being sought. All the craftsmen in Yanggu County have been sought once, and they will arrive one after another recently. The wood, bricks, and stones for building the houses have been ordered, and it will take some time before they arrive. The... planning drawings that the young master drew earlier have already been surveyed on the spot, just waiting for construction to start."

Seeing him hesitate to speak, Wang Yan said: "Out of money?"

"It's still enough for now, I'm just afraid it won't last until the end of the year."

"Don't worry about the money. Are the utensils I asked you to buy earlier all purchased?"

The housekeeper nodded, and Wang Yan said: "You go find a few reliable people to come and work. Let them kill three pigs first; keep all the fat, I have a use for it. Distribute the remaining lean meat and bones to the tenants so they can taste the meat."

"Yes, Young Master." Wang Fusheng responded, then turned and smiled: "By the way, Young Master, that guy Ximen Qing has fallen ill. His four concubines and children also have varying symptoms. People are saying that a plague is about to break out. The city has become much quieter, and people don't dare to go out on the street. The county magistrate has already had people seal that guy's mansion, allowing entry but not exit."

"Uncle Fu, pay attention, don't let the wind leak out. Once Master Ximen kicks the bucket, that cook's family..."

"Young Master, rest assured, this old servant understands, I will keep it clean."

"Good, Uncle Fu, you've worked hard. Go to the account and draw thirty taels of silver. Wen Ge is studying outside, and the expenses are quite large. Tell him not to be disturbed by money. If he passes the imperial examination next year, all future expenses will be borne by my Wang family."

"Wen Ge" was the housekeeper's son, named Wang Zhongwen, twenty-three years old, studying at the Four Great Academies, and still had some hope. He used to be his book boy before going out to study.

Wang Fusheng's old face smiled like a chrysanthemum, very happy: "Thank you, Young Master." After saying that, he took his leave.

Having eaten breakfast leisurely, Wang Yan rested for a while, then wandered down to the village below.

The old housekeeper did things reliably; he had already found a few men who were burning water and killing pigs. Wang Yan was also bored, so he just squatted on the side, boredly watching a group of men kill pigs and distribute meat.

There was no Wang Baqing because Wang Yan had found boys of similar age in the tenants' families, examined their studies in detail, and for those he thought were not bad, he sent them all out to study.

It didn't matter if he didn't want to take the imperial examination, but it didn't delay him from cultivating children to take the imperial examination. After all, he was grasping the grassroots. Later, when these people were sent to be officials, regardless of size, as long as they reached the local area, he could send people over, which was still a good deal. However, the cycle was a bit long, but it wasn't a loss; it could be considered a casual move.

Of course, not all children of appropriate age were suitable for learning. Those who were not earnest in their elementary education or whose natural talent was truly poor were all sent by him to those guards to teach them body tempering and martial arts.

As for losing half a laborer, none of the children's parents said no. Firstly, a half-grown boy eats the father poor, and secondly, reading and practicing martial arts required money, which was always better than farming. And it was Master Wang personally promoting them, which was a good thing.

After a while, the few people neatly and without waste cleaned up the pig. Wang Yan took a group of people back to the big mansion on the hillside, set up a pot to render oil in a room cleaned out in the front yard, and at the same time directed a few people to start preparing caustic soda...

He was going back to his old profession, making soap, scented soap, and other cosmetics. There were many brothels and pleasure houses in this era, and the talented scholars and beautiful ladies were even more romantic and not lacking in money. As for the glycerin produced to make dynamite, he still knew how to do it, but it was for self-preservation.

In terms of weapons, he didn't intend to engage in guns and cannons this time, but to continue the development of cold weapons. Of course, he would vigorously encourage craftsmen to manufacture them. The historical process was right there; there were already crude artillery applications now, and with normal development, they would come out sooner or later. He only needed to provide a healthy system to promote it, and the rest, relying on the wisdom of the ancient people, they could do it.

In fact, if following the normal historical process, the peak era of cold weapons should be the current Great Song, and then the competition of hot weapons would begin. Unfortunately, it abolished its own martial arts and suffered unfavorable wars. Even if the standard military equipment had some advanced features, it was useless if it didn't win battles, and it couldn't be called a peak.

Weapons had to be at their peak, and martial arts also had to be at their peak.

Four days passed just like that. Soap doesn't require much technology, so after first producing some samples, free trials have already begun in the depressed Yanggu County. The news of large-scale hog purchasing has also spread across the land of Shandong, intended to stir up people's enthusiasm for raising pigs. Although raising pigs consumes grain, it can't be helped that it makes money; right now, the prices of piglets and brood sows have gone through the roof, speculated to be extremely high.

Those who didn't lack grain raised more; those who lacked grain tightened their belts and raised one. Anyway, Master Wang had already spoken: as long as it was a fat pig that wasn't sick, he would take it if sent over. In such an era of slow carriages and horses, the news spread far in just a few short days.

Master Wang never imagined that what made his name spread wasn't rebelling to be emperor, nor expanding territory for three thousand miles, but his damn fat pigs... Even the people of Yanggu County, when mentioning Master Wang, no longer talked about his charity, but "the one who collects pigs"...

"I am Wu Song, this is my brother Wu Zhi, meeting Master. Thank you, Master, for letting your subordinates help me and save me from the lawsuit."

"Meeting Master, thank you, Master, for taking in the two of us brothers."

In the front hall for receiving guests, Wang Yan sat on a chair, smiling and watching the tall and short brothers standing in front of him. These two had just arrived and came to see him without even resting. Yanggu County was more than two hundred miles away from Qinghe County; they came by carriage, and counting the rest, they wandered along for four days, which was not bad.

Look at this height, Wu Song must be more than two meters tall. As for Wu Dalang, he was estimated to be less than one point five meters, maybe just over one point four meters. The two of them together had quite an impact. Of course, by virtue of Wu Song's two-meter height, he had an impact himself, just not as intense as the contrast with Wu Dalang.

And Wu Song didn't live up to his title of street ruffian. While thanking him with his mouth, his waist didn't bend at all. He was standing tall and even had a bit of looking down on Master Wang. Even though he brought his brother over, he didn't open his mouth to say he was defecting. Having some ability and being unruly, it was normal to examine whether this Master Wang suited his taste and was worth helping to do things—this was the so-called two-way choice.

Wu Dalang was much more mature; without a word, he directly expressed his intention to stay here. It was because he heard the deeds of Master Wang from the person who picked them up, thought it was not bad, and didn't want to toss about, just wanting to live a stable life. While speaking, his little fatty hand was pulling his younger brother's clothes, letting him bow and cup his hands.

Although Wu Song was unwilling, he still did it symbolically, still listening to him.

"Brother Wu Song doesn't seem willing to work under me? Do you despise me for being young and look down on me?"

"I wouldn't dare. Along the way, I heard that Master has always had a reputation for kindness and also used silver to solve my trouble, sparing me from lawsuits. You are a top-notch good person. It's just that the big brother who sent us two brothers here said that Master is fond of martial arts and has great martial arts skills. Seeking Wu Song to come here is also because you fancy Wu Song's courage and strength. I ask Master to give me some pointers."

Wang Yan smiled and watched him, understanding the reason. It was nothing more than his subordinates bragging about him to Wu Song on the way, and Wu Song was unconvinced, thinking that an eighteen-year-old chick was nothing special. Or perhaps there were some arguments, unhappiness, which he kept in his heart, so he brought emotions when seeing him. Wu Song was also immature, his temper was relatively hot, so he wanted to compete to vent his heart, which was understandable. Of course, perhaps he also had the idea of wanting to beat him up to see Master Wang's capacity.

He stood up, bypassed the two brothers, left a sentence "Follow me," and walked out with his hands behind his back.

"Oh my, brother, how can you be so reckless? If you anger Master, what will happen to us two brothers?"

"Brother, rest assured, I have my own plans."

It would have been fine if he didn't say it, but once he did, Wu Dalang was even more worried. After all, every time he caused trouble in the past, it was this kind of statement, and he was scared just listening to it: "Later, when sparring with Master, you must not use heavy hands. If you really hurt Master, all your plans will be useless."

Wu Song simply ignored him, took a long stride, and followed behind Master Wang, who was walking neither fast nor slow in front. Wu Dalang sighed and hurriedly moved his short legs, determined not to let his brother hurt Master. He had lived for more than thirty years, and since he grew up, he knew he was different from others and had suffered countless cold eyes and ridicule. But at the first meeting just now, there was no fluctuation in Master's eyes, not the slightest look of looking down, disdain, etc. He was very familiar with those eyes and didn't believe he would misjudge. Just based on this point, he concluded that Master was absolutely a top-notch good person.

The mansion was too big. Wang Yan took the Wu brothers for a while, and Wu Dalang was sweating profusely from running, before they arrived at the spacious martial arts field.

The guards who were training the children here, seeing Master bringing a burly man, didn't need to be told, and one after another stopped their actions, consciously clearing the middle area of the martial arts field.

The guard leader was named Yue Haichuan, a big-bellied man over one point seven meters tall. He wasn't fat; this was the standard for people who could fight in ancient times, including Wu Song, although perhaps because height required too much nutrition, his belly wasn't very big, but it was still protruding.

Yue Haichuan was good at spears and sticks, and in foot combat, he suppressed the other fifteen people, which was why he was the boss.

At this moment, seeing Master wanting to spar with that burly man, he held his stick and cupped his hands: "Master, let this subordinate spar with him first."

Wang Yan, while taking off the green long gown he was wearing, shook his head and said: "It's fine. Brother Wu Song is tall and sturdy, I'm afraid you'll be busy for nothing. There will be many opportunities to spar in the future, no need to rush for a moment."

While speaking, he threw the long gown to Yue Haichuan, revealing the white undershirt and black tight-legged pants inside. The colorful tattoos exposed outside dazzled Wu Song's eyes, and he couldn't help but secretly call out that this Master was truly a person of the underworld...

After all, decent people in this era didn't play with tattoos, let alone a wealthy landlord.

As soon as Wu Song saw the beautiful tattoo and saw Master Wang looking at him with a smile, he immediately tucked the hem of his outer jacket into his waistband, bound his loose long sleeves, and prepared to meet the battle.

"Brother Wu Song, shall we compare fists and feet, or weapons?"

---Author's Note---

Thanks to (Wei Ge Ge) Big Brother for the 588-coin tip to continue support.

Thanks to (Love Love Love Never Ends) (Half a cigarette on the night shift) (White Big Sugar) (East of the Great Wilderness) (Flying Flying Flying Here) (Donkey-riding Dead 47 Ride) (Movie World Fan) seven Big Brothers for continued support.

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Thanks to the Big Brothers who read silently for their support. ===== CHAPTER 413 =====