Chapter 15: The Wealthy Guard

Returning to the familiar small town, Zhang Xingyu felt like a salted fish on the shore returning to the water, as if he had been reborn.

Walking on the street paved with bluestone slabs, he carefully savored the familiar scent of the small town as he walked.

At dawn, the small town had already awakened from its slumber. The working people looking for food early in the morning walked out of their homes in twos and threes.

The shops on both sides of the street had already opened their doors, and the sides of the street were already filled with various stalls—some selling breakfast, some selling vegetables, some selling fruit, and some selling needles and thread. Among them, the breakfast stalls were the most numerous. He saw a stall owner skillfully stretch out strips of gluten two fingers wide and put them into a boiling oil pot; in a short while, golden, crispy fried dough sticks emitting the fragrance of rapeseed oil were freshly out of the pot.

Zhang Xingyu drooled all the way as he walked.

For the past few days, he had only been focused on fleeing for his life, and at this moment, he was already starving.

Arriving in front of the familiar noodle stall, Zhang Xingyu greeted the owner of the noodle stall enthusiastically: "Good morning, Uncle Fu!"

Uncle Fu, who was cooking noodles, looked up and saw the smiling Zhang Xingyu, and immediately froze in place.

"Mo-morning, Xingyu!" Uncle Fu stammered in reply.

Zhang Xingyu placed his butt on the stool in front of the stall and then said loudly to Uncle Fu: "Uncle Fu, cook me a bowl of noodles, make it a large bowl, and add some beef; I'm starving to death."

"Alright, alright. I'll cook it for you right away. Wait a moment." Uncle Fu finally came back to his senses, nodded, and agreed.

While skillfully cooking the noodles, Uncle Fu asked: "Xingyu, where have you been all these days?"

Zhang Xingyu replied casually: "Went for a stroll in the mountains; there was nothing fun, so I came back."

"Went for a stroll in the mountains?" Uncle Fu was very confused.

"Xingyu, everyone in town says you were taken away by an immortal; is it true?" Uncle Fu asked.

"Not taken, but invited. The immortal invited me to lead the way, and after leading the way, he sent me back," Zhang Xingyu bluffed casually.

In a short while, Uncle Fu scooped up the noodles, poured on the soft-stewed beef, and added a little cilantro before placing a large, fragrant bowl of beef noodles in front of Zhang Xingyu.

Zhang Xingyu had long been salivating. He shoveled the noodles into his mouth in large mouthfuls, ate the meat in large chunks, and in no time at all, he had eaten the large bowl of noodles, soup and all, completely clean.

So comfortable.

Zhang Xingyu patted his round belly, feeling incredibly content.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, he stood up and shouted loudly to Uncle Fu: "Uncle Fu, same as usual today, put it on my tab. When I get the reward money from the town at the end of the month, I'll pay you back all at once."

"Alright." Old Man Liu nodded with a smile.

Bidding farewell to Uncle Fu, Zhang Xingyu went to the Earth Temple to look for Hu Siping and the other two.

Arriving at the Earth Temple, he pushed open the dilapidated temple door and walked in casually.

In the Earth Temple, Hu Siping was sitting in a circle with Skinny Monkey and Er Leng, discussing matters.

Hu Siping said loudly: "Brothers, the biggest wealthy man in our Shenying Town, the Kind-hearted Master Hu, has sent word that he wants to find people he knows to escort them to Shanyang Cheng. As long as we deliver them there, he will give each person a reward of ten gold coins. What do you say, are we going or not?"

"Ten gold coins, so much money! Go, go, we must go; not going would be a fool," Er Leng shouted loudly.

Just as Er Leng finished speaking, Skinny Monkey knocked him on the forehead: "Er Leng, what are you shouting for? Listen to the boss. The boss has his own ideas."

After saying this, he asked Hu Siping with a grin: "Boss Hu, doesn't Kind-hearted Master Hu have servants and boys at home? Why look for people outside?"

"Skinny Monkey, you kid are sharp. I went to inquire; Kind-hearted Master Hu wants to send gifts to a big shot in Shanyang Cheng, and the gifts fill ten full carts. Kind-hearted Master Hu is afraid that someone will rob the road halfway, which is why he is paying a high price to find strong young men in town to escort them," Hu Siping said, looking at the skinny man.

"Then are we not going to patrol the streets?" Er Leng thought for a moment and asked.

Hu Siping was about to answer, but looked up and saw Zhang Xingyu standing at the door, looking at them with a smile.

"Xingyu, you didn't die." Hu Siping stood up with a start.

"I didn't die, I'm back." Seeing the three of them, Zhang Xingyu was very happy.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Hu Siping nodded with a smile, then stretched out his fist and hammered Zhang Xingyu's shoulder twice heavily. He wanted to laugh heartily, but there was a long scar on his face, and laughing made him look exceptionally ferocious and scary.

The reunion of the brothers naturally had a lot to talk about.

By the afternoon, Hu Siping took Zhang Xingyu and the other two to Kind-hearted Master Hu's mansion. Kind-hearted Master Hu's mansion was built outside the town, with high walls and a large courtyard, and two two-meter-high stone lions crouched in front of the vermilion iron gate.

Hu Siping went up to explain their purpose to the gatekeeper, and soon the four were led by a guard through gates and around walls to the front hall.

Receiving them was the head steward of the Hu family. This Head Steward Hu had white hair and a white beard, but his skin was well-maintained, with no crow's feet at the corners of his eyes and no wrinkles on his forehead.

"Head Steward, we four are street patrolmen. Hearing that Master Hu wants to find people to escort, I brought my brothers to help," Hu Siping cupped his fists at the head steward.

The head steward looked them over and nodded: "Hmm. You guys are sturdy enough. Since you're here, follow me."

After saying this, the head steward led the four toward a side room with an expressionless face.

Entering the side room, everyone discovered that there were already five or six people sitting in the room.

Zhang Xingyu and the others recognized these people; they were their own group's arch-enemies.

"Hu Siwa, you guys aren't patrolling the streets, what are you doing here?" Huang Jinmao was also very surprised to see Hu Siping.

Hu Siping glanced at him: "Whether I come here or not is none of your business. Huang Jinmao, are your bones itching? Do you want me to loosen them up for you!"

The two groups of people met here, all clenching their fists and glaring at each other, as if they would swallow each other alive immediately.

"Hmph!"

Head Steward Hu's face turned cold, and he puffed a stream of white air from his nostrils: "This is not a place for you to fight. Whoever doesn't want to work, get out for me now."

Hearing this, both sides reluctantly put away their fists.

Fighting is a small matter, making money is a big matter.

The head steward waited for everyone to put away their fists before taking a large handful of golden coins from his robe.

In the Xuantiandalu, mortal kingdoms use rare metals such as bronze, silver, gold, and platinum as currency.

One platinum coin exchanges for ten gold coins, one gold coin exchanges for ten silver coins, and one silver coin exchanges for ten bronze coins.

The head steward distributed two gold coins to each person.

"This is the deposit. When we reach the destination, the rest will be distributed to you," the head steward said.

After distributing the gold coins, he warned everyone with a serious face: "Since you have accepted this business, stay here today and set off tomorrow morning. Remember, no causing trouble here."

After the head steward finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and walked out of the room with a crab-like gait.

Everyone was overjoyed to receive the gold coins.

Zhang Xingyu carefully examined the gold coin in his hand.

This gold coin was about two centimeters in diameter, with the head of an emperor wearing a crown cast on the front, and the words "Nanyue Empire Zheng Huang Gold Treasure" cast on the back.

Zhang Xingyu carefully tucked the gold coins into his pocket. For him, two gold coins were a great fortune.

Opposite him, Huang Jinmao ignored the reluctant eyes of his subordinates and confiscated all the gold coins in their hands.

Holding more than a dozen golden coins in his hand, Huang Jinmao gestured to Hu Siping as a show of force, as if to say: "I have more gold coins than you."

Hu Siping glared at him fiercely and then made a throat-slitting gesture. The meaning was: "No matter how many gold coins you have, they will all be mine in the future."

The two groups of people were ten meters apart, each sitting in a circle, and guarding against each other.

Night fell, and after staring at each other for a long time, they finally couldn't hold on and fell asleep on the ground one after another.

Zhang Xingyu closed his eyes but couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

In the night sky, it seemed as if a pair of eyes were staring closely at everyone.

He opened his eyes and looked around carefully, but after a long time, he couldn't find any trace.

The next morning, the weather was fine and the sky was cloudless.

At the gate of the Hu mansion, among the escort team, Zhang Xingyu was looking around.

This was an escort team composed of over a hundred strong young men and servants.

Sandwiched in the middle of the team were four gorgeously decorated four-wheeled carriages and more than ten ox carts filled with boxes.

It looked like the four-wheeled carriages were for Kind-hearted Master Hu and his family, and as for the boxes on the ox carts, they were mostly filled with gifts.

He was secretly guessing when the vermilion gate of the Hu mansion slowly opened outward.

Head Steward Hu supported a white-haired old man as they walked out first. The old man was about seventy or eighty years old, sickly, and coughing as he walked.

No need to guess, this white-haired old man was the town's biggest wealthy man, Kind-hearted Master Hu.

Behind them followed five or six young women. These women were all graceful and pretty, and they should be Kind-hearted Master Hu's wives and concubines.

Damn Kind-hearted Master Hu, at such an old age, he still marries so many young and beautiful women. Looking at his sickly appearance, he is mostly suffering from excessive indulgence and doesn't have long to live.

Beside the carriage, Kind-hearted Master Hu turned and gazed at his mansion for a long time before reluctantly boarding the first carriage with the support of the head steward.

After Kind-hearted Master Hu's family had all boarded the carriages, the lead coachman flicked his whip, and the carriage beside him began to move slowly. Thus, the entire escort team slowly moved toward Shanyang Cheng amidst the creaking sound of the wheels.

The team didn't move fast, and the guards were chatting and laughing, feeling very relaxed.

Kind-hearted Master Hu is Kind-hearted Master Hu; he gives ten gold coins for a three-to-five-day journey. Where else could one find such a good thing besides the Hu family?

Zhang Xingyu and the other three walked at the back left of the team, and to their right were Huang Jinmao and his group. The two groups walked while blowing their beards and glaring at each other.

The team walked thirty or forty miles south, and the wide official road began to narrow, with bushes growing on both sides of the road.

The team's speed immediately slowed down. After walking less than a mile further, a group of masked men in black holding knives suddenly jumped out from the bushes on both sides of the official road.

"Old Fox, in such a hurry to leave?" ===== CHAPTER 16 =====