Chapter 39: Extending the Olive Branch

After a while, Hua Mingzhu, having observed for some time, finally called out, “Alright, that’s enough.” At her signal, Zhong Qiang waved his hand, and a few people immediately tightened the encirclement. The man’s space to move shrank, leaving him no room to escape. The group closed in and cut him down with a flurry of blades.

Just as they were about to leave, the experienced Zhong Qiang said, “Earlier, we had no idea where this man was hiding. We all thought the Dagger Gang had been wiped out completely. If he hadn’t been greedy and risked his life at the end to snatch the key, we might have missed him. Judging by how important this key was to him, it must be the key to their storeroom.”

“If we just walk away now without taking a single coin, it’s obvious to anyone that this was an act of vengeance. If someone with a keen eye investigates, they might trace it back to a grudge against the Yang family. Why don’t we take the valuables and make it look like a gang fight over loot? That way, we both muddy the waters and bring a generous gift back for the young master. What do you all think?”

“That’s a good idea—Brother Zhong is as cunning as ever,” the others joked. They had no personal interest in the loot, as everything belonged to the family they served. Rewards and punishments would be decided by the young master.

In a short while, they had stripped the place clean, tallying up a total of eight hundred spirit coins—not a sign of wealth for the Dagger Gang. They staged the scene to look like a gang brawl and left through the back door. Under Zhong Qiang’s guidance, they deliberately took several detours around the southern part of the city before finally returning to the Yang estate.

Meanwhile, Yang Cheng lingered in Baixi Village for two more days, standardizing the size and weight of the wooden barrels and instructing Xiao Wu to register the current number of meat beasts.

At present, there were six hundred and thirty-one beasts that met the requirements. He signed a contract with the village chief and paid an advance of eight hundred spirit coins. It was agreed that all future matters regarding Baixi Village would be handled by Xiao Wu, who would liaise with the village chief on Yang Cheng’s behalf. The rest would only involve quality checks and daily transportation of goods, which wasn’t too difficult—a perfect opportunity for Xiao Wu to gain some experience. The boy was sharp and clever, and with proper training, he could become invaluable.

With the partnership settled smoothly, the villagers beamed with joy and showered their city client with gifts of local produce to express their gratitude.

Before leaving, Yang Cheng gave the village chief special instructions: from now on, he was to arrange for fresh meat and daily necessities to be delivered to Mr. Chu in the bamboo grove, the costs to be deducted from Yang Cheng’s account. The old chief readily agreed—they had already been looking after Mr. Chu, and with funding now available, they could buy better supplies for him.

The beast milk had already been tested by Madam Wang and her companions and could be made into dairy products. Of course, Yang Cheng couldn’t hope to reproduce milk or yogurt as in his previous life. The people here were averse to beast milk, and changing the habits of Wuzhou’s residents would be an uphill battle, not worth the time and effort.

So he planned only to use it to make sweets, cream, biscuits, and cakes—snacks, essentially. The meat was as chewy as beef used to be and could easily be turned into something like jerky, spiced to make it tempting and easy to store. As for packaging, for now, he would have to settle for burlap bags or lotus leaves.

By the time Yang Cheng returned to Nanqiu, three days had passed.

At this point, the open grounds on either side of the Yang residence had already been walled off. The construction site buzzed with activity. To speed things up, Old Yang had called on business partners everywhere and hired temporary laborers from all over, quickly assembling a workforce of two to three hundred. The pay was fair, the food abundant, and the work moved at a feverish pace.

When Yang Cheng entered the hall, Su and Yang came forward to report, and Mei Yuchen and Hua Mingzhu also came to greet the young master and his teacher.

The steward, Su, gave a detailed account of everything. The two plots of land had been acquired for a modest sum, with a total of seven thousand three hundred spirit coins paid to the authorities. So far, labor and materials had cost two thousand seven hundred eighty coins.

Old Yang, in high spirits, recounted in full how Mei Yuchen and the others had resolved the recent extortion attempt, lavishing praise on Mei Yuchen and Hua Mingzhu. Other than those directly involved, only the two stewards, Su and Yang, knew of the affair.

The Dagger Gang’s extermination wasn’t discovered by the authorities until two days later, and as they had no powerful backers, it was written off as just another gang conflict over loot—commonplace and unremarkable, so it caused no stir.

Yang Cheng was delighted. The Yang family’s first clash with an enemy had been handled swiftly and quietly, resolved with remarkable efficiency. He showered the young pair with praise, and they brimmed with pride.

Lu Baichuan nodded in satisfaction as well.

With Su and Yang off to their duties, Yang Cheng instructed Xiao Wu to summon the fourth and fifth squads to the hall.

Zhong Qiang and Liu Feng led the guards in to pay their respects. Yang Cheng bade them all sit.

Once they had settled, Yang Cheng commended their performance and asked Mei Yuchen and the others to recount the incident in detail. Old Yang had given only the general outline; he didn’t know the specifics.

The group obeyed, describing the night raid on the Dagger Gang in full, and Yang Cheng nodded approvingly throughout.

Lu Baichuan, standing by, looked pleased as well. His adopted son and disciple had not let him down. Though still young and inexperienced, they had stepped up while he was away. Mei Yuchen, in particular, had no experience in the ways of the world, yet managed to suppress his anger, remain calm, and make sound plans during the crisis.

When the narration ended, Yang Cheng said, “You all did very well—clean and efficient. It’s not that our Yang family is afraid of trouble. On the contrary, this is our time to rise. We’ll keep a low profile when we can, but we’ll never allow ourselves to be bullied.”

“Yes, sir,” the guards replied in unison.

“Everyone who took part in this has earned a reward. The eight hundred spirit coins seized will be distributed among you—there were sixteen of you, so each receives fifty coins. In addition, Mei Yuchen’s planning was exemplary, Liu Feng kept a cool head and rescued a comrade, and Zhong Qiang handled the aftermath with great care. Each of the three will receive an extra fifty coins.”

“Thank you, young master!” they all responded with bows.

Yang Cheng took the opportunity to chat with the guards, asking about their backgrounds, especially Zhong Qiang and Liu Feng, whose performance had greatly impressed him. Zhong Qiang, in particular, had hinted he had no intention of leaving in the future.

Yang Cheng seized the moment to ask, “Do any of you have plans for the future? I promise that within two years, everyone here will gain their freedom—some of you may not even have to wait that long. I’m determined to revive the family, and there’s much that needs reliable people. If any of you have nowhere else to go and are willing to pledge your loyalty, you may join my household, and I will entrust you with important duties. If you have family elsewhere and worry about them, once the new houses are built, I can arrange for a mercenary company to bring them here safely.”

Faced with Yang Cheng’s olive branch, the group’s thoughts were mixed. As outcasts from their clans or sects, they were not valued anywhere. But the Yang family also had its shortcomings—it was small and weak, with little promise. Some held sway in their own minor branches, and even if they couldn’t return home, they still had ties elsewhere.

Yet they owed the young master a great debt. Had they not been bought by the Yangs, they would be slaves for life, with no hope of returning anywhere. Though their time here had been short, they could already see the difference—life here was vibrant and humane.