Journey to the West: Starting by becoming an apprentice of Emperor Donghua

"Little Bean, what are you daydreaming about! Not getting to drink my wine is nothing, but if you lose your life here, how will you go back to see your mother?"

The burly, dark-skinned man looked at the still-shaken boy and angrily reprimanded him.

His chest was adorned with brown leather armor, a standard-issue piece from the military.

The burly, dark-skinned man was Zhao Xingshuo. Ten years ago, he listened to Ji Sheng's advice and joined the army.

Over the years, he has repeatedly made military achievements, but he has been envied by treacherous people. In addition, he was unwilling to collude with his superiors, so after ten years, he was still only a military commander.

Looking at the gold and silver peeking out from the packhorse's side tethers, Zhao Xingshuo said:

"Hurry up and tidy it up. If bad guys see it, it might cause more trouble."

Xiao Douzi quickly went to tidy up, while Zhao Xingshuo returned to the front and continued leading the horse forward.

The emperor's birthday was at the end of May, and he used this as an excuse to extort money from the people, demanding that officials from all over the country send birthday tribute.

This time, he was ordered by his superior to escort the birthday tribute to the capital.

This group consisted of his trusted men, disguised as a merchant caravan.

He has been careful throughout his journey, so he has remained safe and sound to this day.

After traveling for about an hour, the caravan finally came into view of a small town.

Zhao Xingshuo had his men check and organize the area again before entering the city.

The streets and city gates were crowded with beggars, who swarmed forward as soon as they saw the people and horses arrive.

Zhao Xingshuo ordered his men to drive the beggars away, found an inn, assigned someone to watch over the horses and valuables, and sent someone to buy some wine, meat, and sesame cakes to reward everyone.

He had someone buy more sesame cakes and gave them to the beggars in front of the city gate.

While everyone else was drinking and making merry, Zhao Xingshuo dared not drink alcohol. He only ate some sesame seed cakes and beef, and then went for a stroll alone.

He had visited this small town before, when it was quite prosperous. In recent years, the emperor had become increasingly incompetent and tyrannical, and now the town was filled with beggars and much more desolate.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh.

The birthday tribute nearly drained the people dry. Every penny of it was the blood and sweat of the common people.

How many of these beggars in the city lost their families because of the birthday tribute?

He once swore to bring peace to the people. Now, he's become a lackey of those transporting the birthday gifts. It's utterly despicable!

He couldn't help but shake his head, and just then, a commotion broke out on the street ahead.

A ragged beggar broke out of the crowd, clutching a few steamed buns in his arms, and ran for his life.

In his panic, the beggar didn't look ahead and crashed into Zhao Xingshuo's chest with a thud, falling to the ground with a cry of pain.

A burly man caught up with the beggar and began punching and kicking him.

"You blind fool, daring to steal Grandpa's steamed buns! Today I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

Zhao Xingshuo couldn't stand it any longer, so he reached out and grabbed the burly man's hand, about to stop him.

Almost at the same time, the burly man's other wrist was also grabbed.

Zhao Xingshuo was slightly taken aback and looked at the owner of the hand. He saw that the other party was a man with a sickly face and skin as thin as a rake.

The man was about his age and was staring at him with a smile.

A thought struck them both; they could see the competitive spirit in each other's eyes.

With a forceful pull, the burly man flew backward more than three zhang (approximately 10 meters) and crashed to the ground with a crack, breaking his bones and groaning in pain.

The two men cheered inwardly at the same time, and the man opposite them cupped his hands and said:

"My name is Li Zheng. May I ask your name, sir?"

Zhao Xingshuo returned the greeting:

"My name is Zhao Nanfeng. Greetings."

Both of them used aliases. This Li Zheng was none other than Li Jun, who had been given the elixir and military treatise by Ji Sheng.

Li Jun killed the county tax collectors and the county magistrate's entire family before fleeing to another place.

From then on, he robbed the rich to help the poor, killing countless corrupt officials, tyrants and powerful figures, and committing numerous major crimes over ten years.

About two years ago, he gathered a group of men and set up camp in the nearby mountains. Their influence has grown steadily, and now they number in the hundreds.

The local government also sent troops to suppress them. However, with the help of military treatises, Li Jun dealt them several heavy blows.

A few days ago, he heard that a caravan carrying birthday gifts was passing by.

I came out specifically for this deal.

In just a few words, the two found themselves to be very compatible.

The little beggar had already taken the opportunity to escape. The two of them went to a roadside tavern, ordered some dishes, and sat down to chat.

Li Jun had a good capacity for alcohol, which made Zhao Xingshuo's mouth water.

But he knew the importance of escorting the birthday gifts, so no matter how the other party tried to persuade him, he refused to drink a drop of alcohol.

The more they talked, the more they felt they clicked.

It wasn't until a bright, hook-shaped moon hung above the wine flag that Zhao Xingshuo realized how much time had passed and took his leave.

He strode back down the street, and halfway there, he saw Little Bean running towards him in a panic, calling out:

"Something terrible has happened, brother!"

Zhao Xingshuo's heart skipped a beat. He stepped forward to support Xiaodouzi, who was panting heavily and reeking of alcohol, and demanded:

"What's wrong?"

Little Bean said with a mournful face:

"Our things have been stolen!"

Zhao Xingshuo felt a chill run down his spine:

"What exactly happened? Tell me quickly!"

Xiaodouzi said:

"Someone drugged our drinks. I didn't drink much, so I woke up first, but all the other brothers collapsed..."

Zhao Xingshuo was furious and slapped Xiaodouzi so hard that he spun around on the spot.

"Didn't I tell you not to drink it? You bastard!"

He ran all the way back to the inn. Inside, the group lay sprawled on the floor, like dead pigs.

The house where the valuables were kept was completely empty. When they arrived at the stable, all the dozen or so horses were gone, not even their reins were left behind.

In a flash, he thought of the guy who had called himself Li Zheng earlier.

When he found the tavern again, Li Zheng was nowhere to be seen.

On the table where the two had just drunk, a few small words written in the wine were still wet:

Li Jun of Peach Blossom Village awaits Commander Zhao.

Zhao Xingshuo's eyes widened in fury, his gaze turning bloodshot, and he slammed his fist into the table, shattering it to pieces.

"Fine, fine! I considered you a confidant, and you dare to betray me! When I find you, I'll tear you to pieces!"

Ji Sheng stood atop the cloud, and everything that happened below was seen by him.

It seems these two are destined for a fight. A battle between a dragon and a tiger is unlikely to end well; it would be bad if either of them were to be injured. I must mediate between them.

Moreover, this is a good opportunity for the two of them to work together.

Thinking of this, he transformed himself back into the fortune teller and entered the city.

Zhao Xingshuo was walking along the street, feeling extremely annoyed. Suddenly, a fortune teller walked by with a jingle.

The fortune teller shook his tiger-shaped handrail and shouted:

"The divination hexagrams connect with the heavens, guiding us to good fortune and avoiding misfortune. Let's interpret characters, cast hexagrams, and predict the coming year."

Hearing the voice and looking at the man's face, Zhao Xingshuo suddenly felt that he was somewhat familiar.

Isn't this the same person who told my fortune ten years ago?

Upon seeing this man, Zhao Xingshuo was even more enraged. He stepped forward, grabbed the man by the collar, and roared:

"So it was you, you liar! You really fooled me so badly! If it weren't for you, how could I have ended up in this situation today!"

After ten years in the military and countless merits, he was still only a military officer.

Today, he is facing the consequence of having his head chopped off because of the loss of the birthday gifts. How could he not be furious?

The Taoist priest merely glanced at him and exclaimed in surprise:

"Oh my, it's Young Master Zhao? Aren't you the emperor yet?"

Zhao Xingshuo's fists hardened; if he weren't afraid of killing the old Taoist priest with one punch, he really wouldn't have been able to resist making a move.

"You...you..."

He was so angry he could barely speak.

Ji Sheng patted Zhao Xingshuo's back lightly as he smiled and said:

"My lord, don't be alarmed. So what if you lost the birthday gifts? I'll teach you a lesson you won't be harmed, and you'll even be able to establish an imperial dynasty!"

Zhao Xingshuo immediately calmed down. Although he still had some doubts, he thought for a moment and then gestured for Ji Sheng to proceed.

"I was very rude just now. Please come inside and let's talk!"

Once inside, Zhao Xingshuo immediately locked the door. Before Ji Sheng could even sit down properly, he hurriedly asked:

"Sir, please enlighten me as soon as possible!"

Ji Sheng smiled and said:

"Young Master Zhao, are you confident in your martial arts skills?"

Zhao Xingshuo patted his chest and chuckled:

"I, Zhao Dalang, have fought in countless battles over the years, and with my iron rod I have wounded countless heroes. Have I ever feared a single person?"

Ji Sheng nodded:

"Are you capable of dealing with Li Jun, the leader of Peach Blossom Village?"

Zhao Xingshuo said:

"What's so difficult about that?"

Ji Sheng smiled and said:

"Li Jun once received an elixir from an immortal, granting him immense strength. He has never been defeated. Young Master Zhao, don't boast."

Zhao Xingshuo chuckled coldly:

"That Li Jun is nothing but a notorious bandit. If he sees me, I'll make sure he dies by my cudgel!"