Chapter 31: Your Martial Fortune Shall Ever Flourish

When mother wept, it was hard to calm the son, so everyone could only help the sobbing Caiyang Duojie back into the house.

Outside, in the darkness, he couldn't see clearly; when Zhang Gui entered the house, he discovered that several months had passed and the home had become much larger.

Originally there were only three thatched houses and a small courtyard; now it has expanded to eight.

The courtyard has also swelled like rising water and high ships, expanding greatly.

The sauce jars in the courtyard went from a dense five jars to a spacious dozen‑plus jars.

It gave him a sudden sense of wealth.

However, the furnishings inside remained very plain.

A round wooden table and a few short‑legged bamboo stools.

On the table sat tea brewed from tea bricks, and a dim yellow oil lamp was lit.

Zhang Gui, after finally waiting for his mother to stop crying, opened his mouth and asked:

"Mother, why has our home become so big?

And why are the great aunt, the younger aunt, and the cousins all here in our house?"

"My son,

Our neighbor, the Jiujiang family, have risen, so I, with a smug grin, bought their old residence.

I originally intended to 'use it when busy, keep it when idle', and later give it to you to start a family.

But your uncle left.

I saw that your aunt and cousins had no support, so I opened up the courtyard, brought them in, and had them help me make sauce.

They could at least have food and shelter.

Your uncle, you see, was too proud.

What does 'the king does not attend to worldly affairs' mean? That's idle talk; they even treat the Shi Corpse Tribe as a thousand‑house regiment.

More than twenty years ago, when the Emperor toured the South over the West Yue Sea, he secretly, without your maternal grandfather and grandmother's knowledge, stole the Stone Corpse King golden seal and an imperial edict.

To block the imperial carriage, he had to become a general commanding troops at the frontier.

As a result, he was captured by the Imperial Forest Army and almost had his head cut off.

If the golden seal hadn't been brass‑wrapped iron, and the imperial decree—yellow xuan paper glued to sheepskin—hadn't rotted, perhaps the items would have been lost.

"There's also such a thing.

Zhao Zhusha truly lives up to his beggar origins; even if the imperial edict appointing the Stone Corpse King was a temporary measure during his conquest.

They had to give a copper badge to masquerade as a golden seal; what's brass‑wrapped iron anyway?"

Zhang Gui, in his previous life a 'free, commoner pig', therefore has always both despised and yearned for the feudal ruling class.

He maintains an equal stance toward every emperor and minister: 'You are all pigs and dogs; I could replace you.'

And this attitude naturally surfaces from time to time when he interacts with those very close to him.

Caiyang's sister‑in‑law has long been accustomed to this, but still covered her son's mouth,

"You little bear, even the reigning Taizong dares to joke; stop talking."

In two hundred years, the seas have changed; the once frontier wilderness of West Yue Sea has become a prosperous maritime trade province bathed in imperial grace.

The hunting grounds 'Xuanzhi Shanmai' where the Shi Corpse Tribe has lived for generations lie only twenty li from Four Yang Commandery City.

Although it happens to be sandwiched between East and West Yue Sea, it remains a primitive forest beyond any jurisdiction.

Yet the Stone Corpse People have long been assimilated by the Song Ming.

After all, in peaceful times, agrarian peoples can survive by selling labor, while fishing‑hunting peoples still have to sell their lives.

This is also the main reason for the gradual decline of the Shi Corpse Tribe.

So although there is not a single proper Song Ming person in the house, they are all stunned by Zhang Gui's wild ramblings.

Zhang Gui, seeing the aunt and cousins' expressions, realized he had misspoken earlier, and thought to himself:

"In familiar, safe surroundings, people tend to become overly relaxed.

From now on, even at home, one must watch one's words and actions; what a hassle."

He explained, "I understand, Mother.

It was just that, upon hearing that uncle left, my heart was sad, so I spoke incoherently.

Ah, your uncle has been ill for those years; his death was expected.

You needn't be too sad, sob sob sob."

Caiyang's sister‑in‑law scolded her son, yet she began to cry again; everyone, their emotions stirred, also wiped away tears.

She had seven siblings in total, but only she and her full brother Duo Luo Hu Zhen reached adulthood.

This shows the hardship of tribal life in the mountains.

Now the brother is dead, and the tribe is essentially scattered.

If we wait another few decades, there may be no Stone Corpse People left.

Thinking of it only makes her heart ache.

She cried a while longer, then Caiyang's sister‑in‑law suddenly remembered her son hadn't eaten, and could no longer worry about the dead brother or the vanishing tribe.

She got up to bring Zhang Gui some shrimp and fish noodle soup.

The dumplings for the outing, the noodles for the return.

The fresh‑rolled egg noodles she prepares every night, if the son doesn't return, become breakfast for herself, her sister‑in‑law, and her niece the next morning.

Now she finally gave them to her son.

In this situation, even if Zhang Gui ate fried dough until his stomach was sick, she still forced him to eat two large bowls of fish‑shrimp stew noodles.

After the midnight snack, the aunt took the cousins back to bed, leaving only Zhang Gui and his mother to talk.

Caiyang's sister‑in‑law poured another jar of strong tea for her son to aid digestion, and, feeling guilty, said:

I once heard that Four Seasons Trading Firm uses iron‑wood great ships for its shipping, and in over fifty years not a single Shop Assistant has drowned.

Heimu Town has become increasingly safe in recent years; the boys from the nearby neighborhoods scramble to go there, only after the Jiujiang family found a way, they sent you over to earn a future.

I didn't expect that in less than three months such a huge disaster would occur.

It scared me to death.

Son, it's all my greed that's to blame.

What importance does this future have?

We aren't lacking food and drink now,

I've thought it over; from now on you'll sell shrimp sauce with me.

We won't be poor either.

Zhang Gui believes that even if heaven and earth were to overturn in this world, his own mother would not harm him.

Moreover, whatever actions he takes after returning home must be explained to Sister Caiyang, so he decides to be frank.

He softly interrupted his mother's words, "Mother, just look at my Divine Ability."

As he spoke, steam enveloped his body, turning him into a semi‑metallic form.

"Mother, now I have awakened the ancient ancestor, the Ancient God Kuafu Clan, and the bloodline of the ancient great sovereign Chiyou."

With the title "Stone Corpse King," he activated the Ancient God rites on Giant Snake Head Island, gaining a divine‑allowed land of over one hundred thousand li.

He founded the nation Zhenlong and further took the title of Emperor.

It is precisely the time to embark on a grand heroic path, so selling stinky shrimp sauce with you is absolutely impossible!

Even if I were beaten to death, it wouldn't work!

The swallows that once perched before the halls of the Wang and Xie families now fly into ordinary households.

The rise and fall of people's fates in the world is the norm.

But the fallen descendants of the Wang and Xie families are still somewhat different from those selling Xie sesame sauce on the street corner.

For example, a child who has sold sesame sauce for eight lifetimes tells his mother, "I happen to be at a great destiny now, I must rise with it and rebel!"

He doesn't know how many times he must repeat it before his mother takes him seriously.

Then, terrified, she trembles all over, urging her son to be honest and modest.

With such power, why not work for the wealthy magnates to earn money; of course, the best is to sell one's literary and martial arts to the decaying "Imperial Family."

But Caiyang Duojie, though now a seller of fish shrimp sauce and comparable to those selling sesame sauce, instantly understood her son's seriousness.

For a long time she was speechless.

Zhang Gui could only remain silent for a long time as well.

After a long while, Caiyang Duojie spoke softly,

"Since awakening the Divine Cluster can transform into a vajra, how could one possibly submit beneath others."

Tomorrow, go back to the Great Stone Cave, my Great Stone Golden Star.

Go tell your ancestors of your lofty ambition.

Then use your minions to gradually hunt the fat deer of All Under Heaven!"

She then stood up and pressed her forehead against her son's forehead.

"Amu wishes you that in the future you can hang all the heads of strong foes on your waist.

Also I hope that if you have not yet opened and other fated ones take your head, your heart will still be filled with today's same martial bravery and you will not regret.

My child.

Your martial luck shall be ever flourishing!

Having finished, she staggered out of the hut.

(End of Chapter)