Chapter 30: Growth

Chapter 30 Growth

The storekeeper handed over the account book honestly, not expecting Zhao Changhe to understand it, and had planned to explain a bit, but Zhao Changhe actually did understand.

"Damn it, I said why there's so little stuff. Good grief, they took several hundred taels of silver at once, hauled away three carts of rice, and even had the nerve to take those mountain chicken meats—those were hunted by my Luo Qi!" Zhao Changhe shook the account book, fuming. "That bastard Fang did nothing at all, yet his appetite is no small thing. He even has the face to talk about finding treasures—he found a dick!"

If you put it that way, those meats were hunted by everyone, many small teams—how did they become your Luo Qi's hunt... The storekeeper dared not speak up.

"He's the helmsman, and our stronghold is still under his command. If he wants to take it, there's no way around it." A bandit beside him said helplessly, "Boss, what do we do now? Lately, hunting beasts has been tough, and spring is still a while off... Should we..."

He made a cutting gesture: "Last time, Head Luo raided Zhang Village, but Yue Hongling messed it up, and we got nothing... Should we go again?"

This bandit was the one who had reported Yue Hongling's passing earlier, named Wang Dashan. His name sounded oddly matching with Zhao Changhe's, and Zhao Changhe realized for the first time how rustic his own name was.

This Wang Dashan was originally a loafer from a nearby town who had joined the bandits—not a good sort. But there were no good sorts in the stronghold either. Zhao Changhe, grateful for his tip-off, had made him a deputy chief.

Seeing Wang Dashan's eager look, Zhao Changhe rubbed his head in frustration.

These bandits really had no brains...

"The Great Xia is in turmoil, but it hasn't fallen yet! Zhang Village just escaped death once—do you think they're not afraid of you coming again? They've clearly reported to the authorities, and now there are probably soldiers watching. If the local official is capable, the troops might already be preparing to suppress us... And you want to go again? Wang Dashan, what level is your Xuan Pass?"

Wang Dashan: "..."

Zhao Changhe was deeply troubled. He thought everyone would be like Luo Qi, pretending to be weak at the fourth or fifth level of Xuan Pass? None of them could even master a basic backslash—relying on these misfits was just asking for death...

Originally, Helmsman Fang was stationed in the city to handle official matters, at least to tip them off about any trouble. But unfortunately, this helmsman would be lucky not to cause trouble himself, so he was clearly unreliable.

Still, in such a remote small town, even if there were soldiers, they wouldn't be many—just a few city guards and constables. In this snowy, icy weather, the chance of them coming into the mountains to suppress bandits was slim. Even if they did, it wasn't a big deal, but going out to cause trouble himself would easily backfire.

Zhao Changhe pondered for a long time, then finally said, "The supplies in the stronghold won't last us a day. No matter what we do, we can't solve the immediate crisis. We can't just transfer money and grain like this—there's no basic logic. Helmsman Fang is clearly stirring trouble, giving us a hard time. How low-class."

Wang Dashan asked in surprise, "How dare the helmsman do that? Boss, you're connected to the Saintess..."

"Heh..." Zhao Changhe smiled. On the surface, there was a backer, but anyone with a clear head would know there wasn't...

Many had heard Vermilion Bird say there could be no romantic thoughts between them. If Luo Qi truly wanted to be a proper Saintess, she probably couldn't even express friendship. If she showed too much care, it would be seen as lingering old feelings, and Zhao Changhe might be killed by the Four Symbols Sect first. After all, a demon sect was a demon sect—they didn't reason much.

Of course, Fang Buping was also foolish. Luo Qi couldn't show care openly, but making trouble for him later would be easy. What was he thinking? Blinded by jealousy?

"What he thinks doesn't matter." Zhao Changhe said leisurely, "I only believe in striking one blow to avoid a hundred. A few of you, come with me into the city. Once we get money, we'll buy supplies there."

Wang Dashan was stunned: "Into, into the city? Where do we get money?"

"Isn't there plenty of money at Helmsman Fang's headquarters?" Zhao Changhe strode down the mountain. "He took from my hands—now he'll spit it out. Let's go."

Wang Dashan: "???"

...

To enter the city, they first had to deal with the wanted poster issue.

Zhao Changhe hadn't learned any light-body skills for high-flying maneuvers yet. The footwork from the Blood Fiend Art was for advancing and attacking, and the explosive power from the technique was for running away—it could make you jump a bit higher, but scaling the city wall was still tough.

In a martial arts fantasy world without light-body skills, even basic elegance was lost. It was a pain, but there was no help for it. Instructor Sun's own light-body skill was as clumsy as a wild ox climbing a tree—he was just an external martial artist.

However, after days of practicing Xia Longyuan's internal art, he was making good progress, truly combining internal and external. With internal energy, he could use some light-body techniques. He'd find a set somewhere—it should be easier than finding a technique manual.

Nervously, he reached the city gate. From a distance, he saw the wanted poster and laughed.

Chief Tang's drawing skills were truly amazing. He had captured Zhao Changhe's face very accurately, almost like a photograph, even including the bloodstains that hadn't yet formed scars on his face, matching the current scars perfectly.

But the problem was, back then Zhao Changhe was a college student who shaved daily. Now he had a thick beard. Back then, his hair was short; now it was half-long and messy, like a vagrant. Back then, he still had a scholarly air; now he was full of bandit roughness, with a booming voice and constant cursing—his whole demeanor had changed drastically.

Zhao Changhe suddenly wondered if his old classmates would even recognize him now. No wonder Yue Hongling had looked so stunned when she saw him that day.

In any case, with this appearance, he could swagger into the city, and the guards probably wouldn't recognize him. Besides, there were no diligent guards here carefully checking—they were all lazy, basking in the sun on this snowless day. When someone entered the city, they just stopped them to collect an entry tax, not even bothering to look at their faces.

So, the wanted poster's restriction on him wasn't as big as he had thought.

Zhao Changhe's mood suddenly lifted, and he strode into the city.

The guards didn't bother with him. They lazily stopped him, stretched out a hand, and didn't even say a word.

Zhao Changhe fished out a few copper coins and placed them in the guard's hand. The guard waved, and the group walked straight in without any trouble.

"Is this what the soldiers are like? A wanted criminal standing right in front of them, and they don't even glance." Wang Dashan sneered quietly. "This court is really about done for."

Zhao Changhe glanced at him sideways and said nothing.

Though he didn't want to acknowledge a fake father, he knew that if he did, he might actually be a prince. So unconsciously, his mindset had shifted a bit, as if this land had something to do with him.

If it were a prosperous era, being a fake prince might be quite enjoyable... Sigh. But in such times, he'd likely be a pure scapegoat. Better forget it.

He strode toward Fang Buping's branch headquarters. It was a mansion covering several acres, with carved beams and painted rafters—nothing low-key about it. Dozens of Blood God cultists lived there, along with a bunch of maids and servants.

Far from the emperor, being a branch helmsman meant enjoying life. Who would want to live in a snowy mountain stronghold? Zhao Changhe had been in the stronghold for over a month and had only seen Fang Buping once on the first day. No wonder the Beimang treasure hunt had been so inefficient and incompetent.

Zhao Changhe arrived at the gate. Two cultists were acting as guards. When they saw him, their eyes widened: "Zhao... Oh, Chief Zhao, what business brings you here? Wait, how dare you enter the city..."

"Tsk, indeed, you city brothers speak so politely. So different from us mountain folk."

"...The sect requires reading scriptures."

"Men of culture, I admire that." Zhao Changhe said with a grin, "Looks like I need to ask Helmsman Fang for some books to read... Anyway, I'm here mainly to visit Helmsman Fang. How is his injury?"

The cultists couldn't think of a reason to stop him. Though Zhao Changhe was inexperienced, he was now a formal cultist, so they led him inside: "The helmsman is badly injured and resting. He'll be very happy to see you visiting."

Zhao Changhe asked casually, "Has he seen a doctor?"

"Naturally. The sect also has skilled hands."

"Then the helmsman should recover soon, right? The times are unstable; without his strength, we all feel uneasy..."

"He can't get out of bed yet. The doctor says it'll be hard to recover much in two or three months. After three months, he might have half his original strength at best... We'll see if spring brings better conditions for recovery."

"Oh, the sect's elites have withdrawn. Since the helmsman is so badly injured, is the branch's defense strong enough? Should I send some men over?"

"Though there are no experts left, there are still plenty at the first or second level of Xuan Pass. In such a remote town, what experts would come? It should be enough."

Zhao Changhe smiled and followed them inside leisurely. He felt his own cunning had deepened.

He hadn't come to fight Fang Buping directly. Understanding the situation was more important—Fang's injury, the branch's strength—all needed to be clear before making a plan.

But Wang Dashan and the others only thought the chief's temper had flared up, just like when he beat Zhang Quan to death.

Impulsive and hot-tempered—sometimes it was a useful persona.

Trained by a little demoness who never spoke a word of truth... Maybe he really had grown up.