Chapter 45: Section 45: The West Kunlun Divine Monk

Evolving from "Merchant" to "Gentry" was the Liu Family's fundamental national policy, and the goal that generations of the Liu Family had striven for. Now, with everything else in place, the "east wind" itself hung by a single thread.

Liu Yaozu, Liu Daye, sat in the flower pavilion, but his mind was filled with years of planning and the enormous capital sunk into it all. Then, thinking of his legitimate son bedridden and unable to rise, and his dissolute, worthless bastard sons, he felt only turmoil, irritation, and a splitting headache. He couldn't help but fling the celadon tea bowl onto the side table with a backhanded swipe, a low shout escaping his lips: "Leave."

The serving maids on either side felt as if they'd been granted amnesty. Silently and hastily, they walked down from the gazebo. They had not gone more than a few steps when Liu He, Liu Steward, emerged from behind a nearby rockery, just about to report on some matter. Liu He was perceptive; one look at the maids' faces told him the master was likely in a temper. After a whispered question, he turned to leave without a second word.

Before Liu Steward could take two steps, the master's cold voice drifted over from the pavilion: "Hiding from what?"

Liu Steward stopped in his tracks, his expression shifting several times. By the time he turned around, he had already switched to a smiling, loyal-dog template. He lowered his head and stepped softly into the pavilion, stealing a glance at Liu Yaozu's seemingly calm face. "Master."

"What is it?"

"Ahem, reporting to Master, there is news from Tangzhuang."

"."

"That group of outsiders has been frequently going out to sea to scout the route lately. By the look of it, they're about to do business on the outer islands. Also, Mountain Lord Zhou has dispatched another thirty-plus men down the mountain in recent days, and he sent word that he wishes to discuss the Beggar Sect matter with you again, Master."

The moment Liu He finished speaking, a single "Fool!" drove the rest of his words back into his stomach.

After cursing, Liu Yaozu cast a cold glance at the person beside him, who stood with lowered brows, a collapsed expression, and an awkward look. Suppressing the fury in his chest, he picked up a Mud-Gold Black-Bone Fan from the tea table, fanned himself lightly a few times, and then closed his eyes to ponder.

Only after a long while did Liu Yaozu slowly speak: "That Zhou fellow now has strong soldiers and sturdy horses; the mountains can no longer contain him. He's bringing his old capital down to Hangzhou to find an extra bowl of rice for his men. In such a matter, the Liu Family should offer some assistance, so as not to waste the many years of friendship between our two sides."

Liu Yaozu paused here and shook his head again: "Mountain folk wanting to make a fortune on the open sea — how easy can that be? That group of outsiders is likely the waterborne force Zhou Tong roped in. But this is a good thing. The Liu Family must help. In a few days, Tangzhuang will probably have some cheap goods to offload. Whatever the cargo, we'll buy it all up then. Offer a fair price — that is how we help."

Ignoring Liu He nodding repeatedly beside him, Liu Yaozu sighed softly to himself: "Ah, if Zhou Tong truly has great fortune and can make a name for himself on the sea, the situation would be excellent. Hmph, those old accounts the Liu Family holds on the waterways could be settled then too."

Liu Yaozu stopped here, turned his face, and stared coldly at Liu He: "Regarding the Beggar Sect matter, did I not give you instructions?"

Liu He was drenched in sweat: "Yes, yes, I understand. We help Mountain Lord Zhou seek wealth on the sea routes; the Liu Family does not meddle in the Beggar Sect affair."

Liu Yaozu slowly reclined into his armchair, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest: "Zhou Tong is a newcomer, unaware of the depths. That beggar business is extremely troublesome, with too many connections running inside and out, high and low. Hmph. Planning to squeeze oil from the poor wretches, and still wanting the Liu Family to handle the aftermath — that path won't work. Now, with the eldest young master gravely ill and the household in turmoil, we must avoid stirring up more trouble."

At this point, Liu Yaozu felt utterly dispirited. He waved his hand to signal the conversation was over and that a certain person could get lost.

Unexpectedly, Comrade Liu He was exceptionally tactless today, dawdling and standing there refusing to leave. Liu Yaozu, denied his peace and quiet and already irritated, flew into a great rage and his hand began to tremble. The moment Liu He saw the master close his fan, he knew disaster was imminent — that very object could come smashing over at any second.

Liu He no longer cared about anything else. He squeezed the Rolling Bead he had just received, which was in his sleeve, and mustered the courage to blurt out the words he had been holding in for half the day: "This… Master, allow me to report. This morning, Third Master Chu sent word that among that group of outsiders is a High Monk from West Kunlun. This… it's probably not entirely reliable… a Western Region secret method, guaranteed to cure… guaranteed to cure all illnesses, or something like that…"

"Smack!"

"Ouch!"

The Black-Bone Fan ultimately landed on Liu He's forehead: "You fool, why didn't you say so earlier!?"

The transmigrator had never imagined that simply passing along a message would result in Steward Liu operating himself into a situation where he took a hit to the head.

The Beggar Sect annexation plan drafted by the Human Resources Department had already begun execution.

Through the various old connections Pingfeng Stronghold had in Hangzhou City, and the data the transmigrators had looked up themselves, the conclusion reached was that the plan was feasible, but had its difficulties.

The difficulty of this plan did not lie in the Fire Merge itself. Whether in ancient or modern times, so-called gang factions were all more or less the same — the Dragon Head controlled the overall situation, and the One Line big brothers each had their underlings and territory. It was a simple pyramid structure.

The seventeenth-century Hangzhou Beggar Sect was the same.

As long as they found the right opportunity, the transmigrators could easily wipe out the Beggar Sect's upper echelon in one fell swoop, leaving the confused lower-level beggars waiting to be absorbed. The receivers were already prepared — Dragon Head Zhou from the Western Zhejiang mountain area, and a pile of Red Flower Double Cudgels under Wang. They were old hands at this; the profession was a perfect match.

The difficulty of the plan lay in: the aftermath and the backlash.

The Beggar Sect was bound to have a backer.

This backer would not be a government official. Officials were transient and did not align with the interests of local gangs. Nor would it be the gentry. The gentry were the purchasers of the Beggar Sect's various services. As long as someone continued to provide those services, the aloof gentry class would not care about the brand of their chamber pot.

Generally speaking, it was more common for the Beggar Sect's backer to come from the yamen's Criminal Division — whether it was taking the blame as a scapegoat, jailhouse litigation, coroner work, or burials, all of these regular business operations of the Beggar Sect were connected to the Criminal Division.

The Hangzhou Beggar Sect was no exception; its backer was precisely a certain clerk in the Criminal Division.

This was the reason the Crossing Faction had repeatedly requested Liu Yaozu, Liu Daye, to step in and handle the aftermath.

The transmigrators had to borrow the Liu Family's influence and network to suppress potential backlash from official channels and other unknown forces after the future "Fire Merge Wang Mountain" incident occurred. This would buy time for Zhou Tong to consolidate the lower-ranking gang members, stabilize the overall situation, and create a fait accompli.

That Master Liu was unwilling to cooperate on this matter was something the transmigrators knew. There was little benefit, and it required spending his own family's resources to wipe someone else's behind — naturally, no one was willing to do such a thing.

Originally, the transmigrators had prepared a pot of "Rolling Beads," along with a Solar Palace Lantern, a "rare treasure" qualified to be sent into the Imperial Palace, to win over Master Liu or some other backup gentry. They hadn't expected that the Liu Family's second-generation heir was on the verge of death. Well, this worked just as well. Saving the second-generation heir was a ready-made opportunity; it just implicated Steward Liu, who took a tea bowl to the head.

The next morning, at Tangzhuang, a certain "West Kunlun Divine Monk" was cheerfully preparing to depart amidst the crowd's watching and teasing.

This big shot was called Bai Shuchao, and after crossing over, he styled himself "Master Miaoshu." This man was a medical school graduate with formal training, possessed a dignified appearance, and was currently the Transmigration Company's only professional doctor.

Before crossing over, Bai Shuchao had worked at a hospital in a coastal area. Due to his high looks and elegant conversation, he habitually ate grass close to the nest at the hospital year-round, and was eventually caught in bed by his wife.