Wuxia Fantasy: Starting with the Revitalization of the Beggars' Sect

Ah Er and Ah San looked at each other, completely bewildered.

"Princess, we don't have any."

Ah Er replied in a weak voice.

Zhao Min frowned and muttered to herself, "That's strange. How did that kid get the Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment?"

Upon hearing this, Ah Er and Ah San already knew that the Black Jade Rejuvenating Ointment had been leaked.

Only they and a few high-ranking fellow disciples within the sect are qualified to obtain this Black Jade Rejuvenating Ointment; ordinary disciples have no access to it at all.

The fellow disciples were as close as brothers, all of whom came from the Western Regions and had never been in contact with people from the Central Plains. It was absolutely impossible for them to betray each other.

As they were pondering, Ah San suddenly remembered something and said to Ah Er, "Senior Brother, a bottle of Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment went missing from the sect several years ago. Could it have been lost around that time?"

Zhao Min frowned slightly. "You said you lost a bottle of Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment before?"

When his junior brother mentioned the past, Ah Er also remembered it and replied to Zhao Min:

"Five years ago, two of my junior brothers were murdered, and the bottle of Black Jade Rejuvenating Ointment they had was stolen."

"Your two junior brothers are far too useless."

"No, our two junior brothers, though not top-tier in martial arts, are still quite skilled. Ordinary experts would definitely not be their match."

"Then how did it get stolen?"

"It was my two junior brothers who were ambushed by thieves; their eyes were injured by poisoned salt."

"Poisonous salt? Sea sand pie?"

Zhao Min was familiar with some of the various sects in the martial arts world.

"Perhaps so, so we went to the headquarters of the Sea Sand Sect. But when we got there, we found that the Sea Sand Sect members were either insane, mentally unstable, or just old, weak, sick, or disabled. No one admitted to killing our two junior brothers. In a fit of rage, we slaughtered the entire Sea Sand Sect."

"However, a full search of the entire ship yielded no results for the Black Jade Broken Heart Ointment."

Zhao Min thought to herself, five years ago, she was only twelve years old. Although she was already proficient in horseback riding and archery, she had not yet helped her father deal with the affairs of the Central Plains.

Then she thought, that kid surnamed Lin isn't much older than her. Five years ago, he was probably only fourteen or fifteen years old. At such a young age, no matter how powerful he is, he can't beat her two junior brothers, Ah Er and Ah San.

Even so, it's probably true that the kid got the Black Jade Rejuvenating Ointment. I never expected that my meticulous plans would be ruined by this kid.

Once outside, Lu Zhangke said, "Princess, since they aren't coming, why don't we gather our troops tonight and catch them off guard?"

Zhao Min said, "No need, that kid wouldn't be unaware of this. By the time we get there, they'll probably have already run away."

Besides, they're still useful if we keep them.

Instead of getting angry, Zhao Min laughed as she spoke.

"Interesting, Lin. I really underestimated you. You just wait."

……

The group of beggars remained on guard until the early morning of the next day before dispersing. They agreed to meet at the foot of Bright Peak if the six major sects besieged it.

Lin Ye then followed the instructions of the four elders and tried to find Shi Huolong.

After leaving, Lin Ye secretly followed Chen Youliang for a period of time.

However, after following him for several days, he only returned to the Dazhi branch with a few disciples. Lin Ye followed him all the way to the Dazhi branch but never saw him meet Cheng Kun again.

Fearing that it would only cause unnecessary delay, Lin Ye had no choice but to give up.

Then he returned to Taipingdian Town.

Xu Shou was overjoyed to see Lin Ye return, as Lin Ye's deeds had already spread throughout the gang.

When Xu Shou heard that he had defeated three top Tartars in a row, he was both amazed and gratified, especially since one of them was Dongfang Bai, the former elder of their own gang.

Hearing that the traitor had been punished was incredibly satisfying.

Elder Lin.

Upon seeing Lin Ye, Xu Shou cupped his hands in greeting.

Lin Ye is now an eight-bag elder in the gang, while he is only a five-bag disciple. Even though he is older, status in the gang is still determined by the number of bags one has.

"Brother Xu, please don't be so polite. Just call me Brother Lin."

"Alright, Brother Lin!" Xu Shou laughed heartily, and hurriedly sent someone to buy some roast chicken and good wine, wanting to celebrate again.

"Let's do it another day, Brother Xu," Lin Ye said seriously. "I have other things to do and can't be delayed. I came back today for two reasons: first, to say hello to you, and second, to ask you something."

Seeing that Lin Ye was getting down to business, Xu Shou quickly straightened his expression and asked, "Brother Lin, what is it?"

Lin Ye took out a yellowed piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Xu Shou. "Brother Xu, take a look at this. This is what I got from the Hai Sha Sect back then."

Xu Shou took the page and saw the three large characters "Aobo Tu" written on the side.

Xu Shou frowned and stared at it for a long time before saying, "This seems to be the salt-making method of the Hai Sha School."

This "Aobo Diagram" was something Lin Ye had scavenged from the Haisha School back then. Based on the diagrams and text on it, it is indeed a book of experience in salt production from the Haisha School.

While the Hai Sha faction's rise to become the world's largest salt smuggler was certainly due to their military strength, their technological achievements in salt production cannot be ignored.

A modern person who travels back to ancient times may not necessarily be better at salt production than a salt smuggler whose family has been involved in salt production for generations.

If the Yuan Dynasty were to be overthrown later, funding would be indispensable.

Lin Ye was currently overwhelmed with other matters and decided to entrust Xu Shou with the task. As for why, Xu Shou was apparently a peddler before joining the Beggars' Sect and had some business acumen. However, he was forced into joining the Beggars' Sect by the Tartars and had no other choice.

Seeing Lin Ye's expression, Xu Shou vaguely understood what Lin Ye meant and said, "Brother Lin, do you perhaps intend to produce smuggled salt?"

"Why not? The world is in chaos now, and the Yuan court will not last long."

"Brother Lin, I want you to go and take a look at the Hai Sha Sect's headquarters. If possible, take over their territory. With money, gather men, arm our brothers, and the Yuan Court will be overthrown in no time."

Xu Shou pondered for a moment. Private production of salt was a serious crime, and the court might take notice. But in this dilapidated world, what difference did it make whether the crime was serious or not?

Today, there are rebels of all sizes in various places.

He had always wanted to rise up in rebellion and overthrow the court, but he had no way to do so. Now that a path was in front of him, why should he hesitate?

With this in mind, Xu Shou said solemnly, "I understand."

"We'll do as you say."

Having made up his mind, Xu Shou acted immediately, taking a few familiar brothers with him to check the situation.

Although they were aware of the Hai Sha faction's demise a few years ago, it was hard to guarantee that it wouldn't rise from the ashes.

Lin Ye watched Xu Shou and the others leave, but he was not completely at ease.

Handing over the "Aobo Diagram" and initiating this hidden move of "using salt to support the army" is a long-term strategy, but it is also like throwing a pebble into a calm pond; the ripples will spread and will inevitably attract the attention of all parties sooner or later.

Especially... the Prince of Ruyang's residence.

But I can't worry about that now. I just hope everything goes well for them so I can avoid some of the hassle.

Lin Ye only set off again after Xu Shou and the others had completely disappeared from sight.