Chapter Ninety-Four: An Invitation from the Prince’s Manor

Hong Yunshan and the others were overjoyed at the news. With the Yang family head lending a hand, there would surely be no problem.

To stir their ambition, Yang Cheng picked out one or two service trades from his former life and explained in detail how they worked, together with the prospects they promised. With just a little guidance, everyone more or less understood. The population base of a city-state was enormous; even if the profit margin was slim, the scale alone would still be vast.

Yang Cheng said, "If your old-fashioned schemes ought to be discarded, then discard them. Go on with them too long, and you won’t even feel at ease in your conscience. Besides, would you rather be wealthy men who command both the underworld and the respectable world, or spend your whole lives fighting and killing?"

Zhao Younong, one of the Qinghuo Gang’s fiercest fighters and a man who always charged at the front, said at that moment, "If life had not forced it on me, I truly would not wish to spend my whole life fighting and killing."

Yang Cheng nodded. "Gentlemen, success or failure lies in this very day. Only those who dare to risk everything have a chance to win. If you can pull this off, then from this point on you will be set for life."

His words stirred them all. When they had first set out in their youth, who had not dreamed of rising above the rest and making a fortune? They had simply lacked a clear direction. Gang expansion cost money at every turn; after all the brawling, one often ended up with nothing to show for it. But if profitable businesses were combined with their efforts, then everything might truly succeed.

When Yang Cheng mentioned that these businesses might be constrained by other gangs, one impatient man immediately shouted that they should wipe out the other gangs. Even Lu Baichuan, who had merely been listening, nearly got dragged along by the mood. Coming back to himself, he silently thought that Brother Yang really knew how to sway hearts.

Even Hong Yunshan’s old eyes gleamed with expectation, though he still retained some reason. "Our gang may have recently become one of the nine major gangs in the southern district, but in truth our strength is far inferior to the other eight veteran gangs. Taking them down will not be easy."

Yang Cheng said, "I have already promised Dao Bai Liu that I will sponsor your gang with two hundred thousand spirit coins, so you can recruit more brothers and build your strength. If needed, my people can also help you from the shadows. I do not want such a promising business delayed for too long. Once you have firmly established yourselves, I will continue to provide funding and open some enterprises together with you."

The six of them were delighted and stood at once. "We thank the Yang family head. We will never forget this kindness."

They knew full well how troublesome the Yang family fighters’ formations had been the day before; a direct confrontation would be very hard to win. And those eight or nine experts, even for cultivators at the Fusion Stage, were so swift of movement that they could barely follow them with the eye. Their cultivation was likely even higher.

"Very well. If needed, a few of my disciples can also go help you and gain some experience," Lu Baichuan said suddenly from the side. It was also a fine opportunity to temper them. If they were not sent out for training, it would be difficult for them to improve quickly.

Hong Yunshan hurried to thank him. The cultivation of this expert’s disciples must surely be extraordinary; with their help, things would be like adding wings to a tiger.

Seeing the six men nearly moved to tears, Yang Cheng could not help but smile. If they ever saw that these were just a few youngsters, they might truly cry.

Hong Yunshan sighed emotionally. "To hear the Yang family head speak is like seeing the sun break through the clouds. The Yang family head is our benefactor. In the future, if Young Master ever has need of anything, just give the word. I, Hong, am willing to brave fire and water."

"We are willing to brave fire and water as well," the other five said, rising in unison.

Yang Cheng waved a hand. "Today you have all been cornered by circumstances. I do not wish to force you into working for me. So long as you are not enemies of the Yang family in the future, that will be enough. Though I may offer aid from the shadows, the main thing still depends on your sincere unity. Only then can we accomplish great things together."

The others felt ashamed. "The Yang family head is broad-minded beyond our reach. We will not fail the Young Master’s high expectations."

Since all were willing, they continued discussing how to gather the scattered gang members and how to erase the impact of Dao Bai Liu’s killing of Song Qinghuo. In any case, only the few of them had been present at the time, so they could describe the matter however they wished.

Once everything was settled, Yang Cheng told them where Dao Bai Liu lived. They would go speak with him themselves to discuss the details, and then they could leave on their own.

By the time the seven men of the Qinghuo Gang walked out of the Yang residence, the sun was already sinking beyond the western hills, staining the clouds with the colors of dusk.

As they stepped out of the Yang residence, Dao Bai Liu, who led them, looked back, and Hong Yunshan and the others also turned to look. All of them were full of emotion. The Qinghuo Gang had turned a page; the past had passed, and they were about to begin a new chapter.

At that moment, their passion surged to the heavens. It was as if they had returned to their youth, when they had set out with swords at their waists and hearts full of nothing but the desire to make their names.

A few days later, Old Zhu was to depart for Linhai City. But before leaving, he received an order that filled him with unrestrained joy. Had he not already made an appointment with Lord Le Yin, he would truly have found it hard to leave.

The client for this order was none other than the lord of the Wuzhou Prince’s Residence, Prince Wushang. The requirement was that the furniture be utterly unique and, the more noble it appeared, the better.

In name, the entire territory of Wuzhou belonged to Prince Wushang as his fief, though he did not actually possess governing authority over it. But such a figure was far beyond Old Zhu’s reach. If not for these unusual pieces of furniture, he might never in several lifetimes have managed to make any connection at all. This could not be treated lightly. Old Zhu had no choice but to make a personal trip to the Yang family and tell Yang Cheng that this order had to be handled properly, for it concerned a royal kinsman.

Yang Cheng agreed and said he would personally go to the prince’s residence to ask about the exact requirements.

Though he was going to ask about the commission, he could not very well arrive empty-handed. At the very least, he ought to bring a gift. But buying anything too expensive made Yang Cheng’s heart ache. He kept persuading himself that a prince must want for nothing and would surely look down on anything he bought. So in the end, he simply decided not to buy anything at all.

After waiting several more days, the first batch of samples for the newly distilled strong liquor was finally ready. Yang Cheng tasted it and found it decent enough. He then hastily put two bottles into the sample cases sent by Lord Le Yin, had them wrapped in valuable silk, and carried them off to the prince’s residence.

Yang Cheng invited Lu Baichuan to accompany him to the prince’s residence. The two of them set out before dawn in a carriage drawn by four swift beasts. It was not until the sun was nearly overhead that they reached the prince’s residence in the central district.

The central district was much smaller than the eastern, western, southern, and northern districts, but the buildings here were luxurious and imposing, and the streets were clean and bright. Everyone who lived here was a noble family or a powerful magnate, and the major factions all maintained shops in the area, chiefly dealing in cultivators’ artifacts and medicinal pills.

Yet if one were to name the most solemn and magnificent of all, it could only be the city lord’s manor and the prince’s residence. One represented the highest authority in Wuzhou City, the other the emblem of the royal house. The former, however, stood in the very center of the city, leaving the two separated by more than twenty li.

After the two men got down from the carriage, they saw that the gates of the prince’s residence were grand and towering. Dragons and beasts were carved along the beams and pillars, fierce and terrifying, yet so lifelike they seemed about to move. On the stone steps before the gate stood qilin statues to left and right, proclaiming everywhere the majesty of imperial authority.

The guards at the gate immediately questioned them when they came forward. Yang Cheng handed over the gifts and explained his purpose, and the guards promptly went in to report. After only a short while, someone came out to receive them and said the prince was already waiting.

Yang Cheng found this rather curious. The prince seemed to take the matter of the furniture very seriously indeed.

The prince’s residence was vast, incomparable to the Yang household. Landscaped gardens, strange peaks and rocks, carved beams and painted rafters—everywhere it displayed the utmost luxury. Yang Cheng and Lu Baichuan could not help looking at each other. Neither of them had ever seen such an opulent estate. Forget ordinary homes; even many wealthy noble clans were worlds apart from this place. Yang Cheng could not help sighing that poverty truly limited one’s imagination.

He could not help thinking that if even a fallen prince in a remote city-state lived like this, then who knew how many princes and royal heirs there were in the vast nation of Liuyun, and how many resources must be fed into their lavish lives. Yet in Wuzhou City, there were also so many commoners struggling merely to survive. The summit of the pyramid was sustained by the vast base beneath it. It seemed that no matter which dynasty one looked at, class division was always the inevitable outcome.

The two followed the guide for quite some time before finally arriving at the prince’s main hall.

Inside, music and dancing flourished in riotous elegance. They were ushered in, and after glancing around, both of them immediately felt the atmosphere to be awkward beyond measure. For there were nearly a hundred people in the hall, some dancing, some playing the qin, some beating drums and sounding instruments, yet not a single one of them was a man. Every face was dazzlingly beautiful, every figure exquisite beyond compare. Even Lu Baichuan, who had seen much of the world, was left as at a loss as Yang Cheng, both of them suddenly unsure what to do with their hands and feet.