knife

Chapter 263 Two Old Men

In Tai'an City, two old men, each wearing a thick cotton-padded coat, squatted under the eaves of a shop playing chess.

Nineteen lines run in all directions, and two small wooden jars contain crystal-clear black and white chess pieces.

However, the two old men weren't playing the sophisticated game of Go.

They are playing Gomoku (Five in a Row).

When it comes to Go, Chang Jian is undoubtedly a master. Having been immersed in it since childhood, he is at least a first-class master, if not a national champion.

But Zhou Zhi was a terrible chess player.

Good food and fun-loving.

Chang Jian only played one game of Go with him, and then refused to play Go with him again.

Left with no other choice, Zhou Zhi had to settle for second best and invited Chang Jian to play Gomoku.

The rules of Gomoku are simple, although it still takes a lot of effort to explain, but it's still more comfortable than playing Go with Zhou Zhi.

Zhou Zhi had just placed a black piece when, in the next instant, he darted out and grabbed a burly man, startling him.

"Old man, what are you doing?"

Zhou Zhiyang patted the red armband on his left arm with a smug look on his face: "You just spat on the ground, so you're fined ten coins."

The burly man was taken aback: "You get fined for spitting?"

"This young man must be new to Tai'an City!" Zhou Zhi chuckled. "There's a sign at the entrance to the city, the rules are clearly written there. If you didn't read it, don't blame me. Pay up!"

The burly man sighed helplessly. He looked at the bustling street and then at the old man in front of him. Before he came, he only knew that he should never use force in Tai'an City, but no one had ever told him that he couldn't spit anywhere. There were signs at the city gate, but the problem was that he couldn't read!
He took out ten coins and handed them to the old man, saying, "Old man, what other ridiculous rules are there? Tell me about them!"

Zhou Zhi put the ten coins into his pocket, then held out his hand again: "Consulting fee, twenty coins!"

The burly man roared, "Is making money that easy? Why don't you just rob someone?"

Watching the burly man storm off, Zhou Zhi returned to the eaves in great disappointment.

A loss of twenty coins!
Seeing that Zhou Zhi's expression didn't seem to be faking it, Chang Jian was somewhat puzzled.

“You’ll understand later!” Zhou Zhi sighed. “The kids in my family are all successful and don’t need my help anymore. They’re idle all day long. I want to help them but I’m worried about causing them trouble. The only thing I can do occasionally is go out and act as a thug, which is just to scare people. This life is really hopeless.”

Chang Jian waved his hands repeatedly: "I don't think I'm as lucky as you. Li Dachui is a genius. Whether it's martial arts or strategy, there are very few people in the world who can compare to him. My sons, alas, I'm afraid I'll have to worry about them until I die!"

Zhou Zhi laughed heartily: "That's the difference in our training methods. I mainly adopt a free-range approach, throwing him out into the wilderness to survive from a young age. I never show up unless it's a matter of life and death. Over the past ten years, this kid has slowly grown up. Your sons, who grew up in the sweet embrace of a gentle life, have achieved such success. You can already be proud!"

Chang Jian frowned: "I feel like you're mocking me!"

"No, not at all!" Zhou Zhi said, "Right now, Li Dachui is dealing with your eldest son. Let me tell you, your third son will definitely be next. Once the unified market succeeds, seven out of ten of your workshops and businesses will have to go bankrupt and close down!"

Chang Jian waved his hand: "Never mind, they have to learn to grow in the storm. Lord Zhou, there's peace outside the pass for a while, no more fighting, but competition in other areas will be even fiercer. They have to learn how to save themselves in this wave. After a long talk with Li Dachui, I think his approach makes a lot of sense, much better than what we're doing now. But the boss and the others can't fully grasp it yet. Let them be tempered by Li Dachui first, and then they'll truly settle down and integrate."

"Anyway, with you backing me up, I won't lose everything!" Zhou Zhi said.

Chang Jian nodded: "No matter how badly we lose, we won't lose everything! At least, I've decided that the Chang family will stick close to Li Dachui. Li Dachui wants to solve the problem of our Chang family's excessive power in the local area, not to eliminate the Chang family itself!"

"Alright, Lao Chang, since you put it that way, I'll show you something!" Zhou Zhi stood up and with a wave of his hand, the chessboard and pieces on the ground were put into his sleeve.

The two disappeared into the street in an instant.

The shopkeeper had just brought out a pot of hot water to refill the cups of hot water for the two old men, but the two old men, who had just been chatting and laughing outside, had vanished without a trace.

Those wearing red armbands in Tai'an City are no ordinary people; cultivating good relationships with them can sometimes solve big problems.

Inside the city lord's mansion, in a secret chamber, a delicate fragrance wafted from the offering table. On the wall, a woman in palace attire stood gracefully, gazing at the two figures before her with a half-smile. While her beauty wasn't particularly striking, her aura was unforgettable; the painter's skill was exceptional, the painting remarkably lifelike. Chang Jian was somewhat astonished to see Zhou Zhi treating the portrait with such reverence.

"Who is this person?"

Chang Jian said, "Her name is He Qingqiu! You must have heard of her."

"He Qingqiu?" Chang Jian unconsciously repeated it. The next moment, he exclaimed in surprise as his internal energy went out of control. Zhou Zhi seemed to have been prepared, and the crackling sounds in the secret room were the result of the collision of their internal energies.

“He Qingqiu? Li Anze, the Crown Princess!” Chang Jian exclaimed. He never imagined that Zhou Zhi could be connected with Li Anze and He Qingqiu, who had died decades ago, and that their relationship seemed to be extraordinary.

Zhou Zhi nodded.

"Thirty years ago, I wasn't called Zhou Zhi, I was called Zhou Xingxing. I was a little follower of He Qingqiu. Because I admired her, I followed her all the way! From Nan Chu to Da Qin, I was also the one who watched her walk the last leg of her journey in the human world."

Chang Jian stared at Zhou Zhi, his face filled with shock: "Li Dachui? Wait, Li Dachui's surname is Li, he, he is..."

“Li Dachui is the posthumous son of Crown Prince Li Anze!” Zhou Zhi confirmed Chang Jian’s idea: “After He Qingqiu gave birth to this child, she handed him over to me, and then turned around to fight against Kou Zhong and four other Xiantian masters. She killed three of them, seriously injured Kou Zhong, and died herself. I witnessed this battle with my own eyes before I set off for the border region.”

Chang Jian swallowed hard.

"Li Dachui will surely fight his way back to the interior of China in the future!"

"Of course!" Zhou Zhi said proudly, "You've seen his ability and skill. Within a few years, he plunged the once invincible Yuan Dynasty into internal strife, and now the entire area outside the Great Wall has fallen into his hands. In a few years, Li Dachui will transform the area outside the Great Wall, and you will see a powerful Beiting Protectorate. Right now, the Great Qin is in complete chaos. Let them fight it out first. After they've fought each other to the point of exhaustion, our army will enter the Great Wall and then we'll reclaim our lost territories!"

“When that time comes, of course we will raise the banner of the former crown prince!” Chang Jian said.

"nature!"

Will anyone believe that?

“Those who believe will believe!” Zhou Zhi laughed. “Besides, there are still people inside the pass who know Li Dachui’s identity, such as Master Yu!”

Chang Jian suddenly realized: "I was wondering how Master Yu, with his status, could have suddenly traveled to the Northeast, arrived in Tai'an City, and even taken a liking to Li Dachui, staying for him for three years. Back then, I begged Master Yu to stay at my house for a few days, but he didn't give me any face at all!"

"Of course old man Yu looks down on your family!" Zhou Zhi scoffed. "What is the Hou Chang family compared to that? Besides, you have close ties with the Linghu family, who were the sharpest knife used to purge the Crown Prince's faction in the Northeast back then!"

"In other words, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess actually left behind quite a few hidden forces within the pass. Once Li Dachui enters the pass, these forces will rise up in response!"

“Although there aren’t many left, those who have managed to remain hidden until now are all formidable figures!” Zhou Zhi said, “Now that Qin has reached this point, Da Chui’s opportunity has arrived. Old Chang, if you hadn’t said these words today, I would never have told you about this.”

Chang Jian laughed heartily: "It's time for my Chang family to prosper! I, Chang, must be the reincarnation of a great philanthropist for nine lifetimes. Whenever faced with a major decision, I always make the right choice. For the past few decades, I have always been on the right side. Haha, we should have a big toast! Lord Zhou, it's my treat. Shall we go to Deyiju or Yingchunlou?"

"Of course, it's Yingchunlou! We can drink while watching the girls play the piano, sing, and dance!" Zhou Zhi said.

"Let's go, let's go!" The two old men laughed and walked arm in arm.

"Hey, Old Zhou, give me one of your red armbands later, so I can go out and earn a few coins when I have nothing to do!"

“No problem!” Zhou Zhi said, “Li Kaixin hasn’t come back yet. When he does, I’ll have him not only get you a red headband, but also a jade pendant. With this jade pendant, you can walk around Tai’an City with your head held high.”

Zhou Zhi lowered his voice: "Even if you spend the night at Yingchun Pavilion without paying, as long as someone sees this jade pendant, I guarantee they won't come after you for the debt!"

"If I were a girl at Yingchun Pavilion, I would definitely spread the word, and my value would skyrocket! Then, naturally, the door would be thronged with suitors!"

"Hey, Old Chang, you're pretty shrewd at business!"

"If they weren't powerful, would the Chang family be where they are today? Lord Zhou, you know what, ever since I stepped into the Innate Realm, I feel like I've become younger again. What if I accidentally gave birth to another son who's even younger than my sons' grandsons? Wouldn't they be furious?"

"If you really give birth, I'll throw a few banquets for you at Deyiju!" Zhou Zhi laughed. "Having a child late in life, Qiu Hulu will have to be carefully managed!"

(End of this chapter)