The Thief Prince

Li Zheng was taken aback when he heard Yan Yun's words.

On second thought, the ancients valued reputation above all else. It was considered a great disgrace for a son to curse his father, and it was even more basic moral for a subject to die for his sovereign.

Although he was not the ruler or father of Yan Yun, he had a brotherly bond with him, so it was only natural for him to shed his blood for him.

He patiently advised, "You have to listen carefully to what is being said. Chief Zhang's words were indeed blunt, but they were also a reminder."

"What does my brother mean?"

Li Zheng said, "In this mountain stronghold, martial prowess is paramount. If we were to simply chop off someone's head and hand it over, the brothers might not say anything to our faces, but they would certainly gossip behind our backs."

"Neither of the other two leaders said this to us."

Yan Yun was a smart child, and after listening to Li Zheng's explanation, she had already gained some understanding.

Li Zheng also began to rethink the landscape of counterfeit products.

The three leaders had different attitudes toward him, and even the small Black Wind Stronghold was not united.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing; I didn't join the outlaws to become a lackey.

In my past life, I served as the boss's henchman to repay his kindness in sponsoring an orphanage.

A true man, having been given a second chance at life, should not remain subservient to others for long.

Li Zheng looked at Ma San, who immediately shrank back, saying, "I'm deaf, I didn't hear anything."

"Don't be nervous, my brother is just impatient, he means no harm," Li Zheng smiled. "Which way do we go?"

Ma San quickly gave Li Zheng directions: "How about going to Xishan Road? It's close to the official road, merchants often pass through there, and there's a grove of trees that provides shade."

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

The three of them left the village gate and went down the mountain, heading west.

Li Zheng, wanting to find out about the mountain stronghold, noticed Ma San's worried expression and took the opportunity to probe:

"You seem distracted; are you afraid of offending Chief Zhang?"

Ma San hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Although Chief Zhang has a cold face, he treats his men quite well. It's just that his gang is not to be trifled with."

Upon hearing this, Li Zheng pricked up his ears and said calmly:

"I know the chieftain's nickname is 'Smiling Tiger,' and Chief Tang's nickname is 'Purple-Faced Yama.' I wonder if Chief Zhang has a nickname?"

Ma Sanqiang replied with a smile, "Chief Zhang's nickname is 'One-Eyed Owl,' because when he shoots an arrow, he closes one eye, like a night owl hunting its prey, hitting the target every time."

"His men were all hunters, and they only obeyed Chief Zhang's orders."

Li Zheng understood immediately; this matched his guess.

Drawing a bow is a skill that requires years of practice; this group is definitely the Black Wind Stronghold's top fighting force.

Judging from Zhou Qing's petty and stingy manner, he doesn't seem like a tolerant person, and I'm afraid he can't control such a group of people.

Li Zheng continued to probe, "I see. I thought Chief Zhang and Chief Zhou were brothers before they came up the mountain."

Ma San shook his head and said, "Chief Zhang arrived at the mountain last, followed by Chief Tang, and the chief himself arrived the earliest."

"The chieftain used to sell salt in the north, but in recent years the government has been cracking down harder and harder, and he has offended some people, so he went up the mountain to become an outlaw."

Salt smugglers again; smugglers in ancient times were truly the main force of rebellion.

Li Zheng just remembered that salt and wine could be privately owned when the Great Zhou Dynasty was founded, but it has been prohibited in the last two years?

"And you?" Li Zheng asked Ma San, "Why did you join the outlaws in the mountains?"

Ma San's eyes dimmed: "We can't survive. Our family suffered from drought, and the land rent is getting higher every year. We can't keep farming at a loss."

"After my parents died, my brothers and I went our separate ways to make a living. I happened to pass by this place and encountered Chief Tang robbing people, so I took the opportunity to go up the mountain."

Li Zheng remained silent for a while before finally asking, "Are there many brothers like you on the mountain?"

"Apart from the chieftain's former brothers and those hunters, almost everyone else was in a similar situation to me."

Li Zheng was somewhat incredulous, as this conflicted with his memory of the situation.

In his memory, the Great Zhou Dynasty, if not at its peak, was at least prosperous and stable, with power struggles controlled within the court.

But according to Ma San, this country is on the verge of collapse!

Dangshan is so close to Nanjing Yingtianfu, yet the people there have already become so destitute that they have turned to banditry. What is the situation in other places?

If local authorities dare to so embellish the truth, it's likely that the prosperity and vitality of the entire country are concentrated solely in the capital.

Seeing Li Zheng fall silent, Ma San said bitterly, "Brother, you must come from a wealthy family. You may not know the situation down here. Do you know how many heroes have taken up arms in just Dang County?"

"How many?"

Ma San held up a finger: "Just among those famous in the martial arts world, there are four: 'Three Strongholds and One Temple,' not to mention the other bandits and petty thieves."

"The three villages are Qinglong Village in the east, Zhangzhuang Village in the south, and our Heifeng Village."

"That temple is Changfeng Temple to the west. The two kidnappers who abducted my brother were working for them."

Li Zheng asked in surprise, "How did a place like a temple, where people burn incense and chant Buddhist prayers, become a bandit stronghold?"

"Monks are ruthless!" Ma San lowered his voice unconsciously. "That Master Puhui was a martial monk. I don't know where he gathered a group of monks and raised a lot of idle followers. He has more than a hundred people gathered in the west."

"Murder, smuggling, kidnapping, loan sharking, gambling dens, prostitution—there's nothing these monks won't do!"

Li Zheng frowned: "Is the government not going to do anything about it?"

"Those monks are incredibly arrogant. From lowly officials to the county magistrate, everyone fawns over them. How could anyone possibly offend them?"

"How could this be?" Li Zheng asked suspiciously. "Taking down this gang of evil monks would at least be considered a political achievement, wouldn't it?"

Ma San shook his head: "I don't know the reason, I've only heard the chief discuss this matter, and perhaps that's the reason."

"What?"

"The chieftain said, the current officials revere Buddhism!"

The government officials revered Buddha!

These four short words made Li Zheng feel an immense sense of absurdity.

That's it? Just because the emperor liked Buddhism, local officials allowed a wicked monk to build such a large criminal gang to prey on the people?

What kind of royal family did the original owner belong to? Were there any normal people left there?

As they were talking, they had already reached the woods beside Xishan Road.

This place is a remote and rugged mountain path; from the woods, one can see the official road not far away.

Li Zheng found a rock to sit on, stuck his broadsword into the ground, and let Yan Yun and Ma San sit down to rest as well.

Yan Yun, however, insisted on not sitting down and ran to the shade of a tree to watch for any pedestrians passing by on the official road.

Seeing his behavior, Ma San felt it inappropriate to sit with Li Zheng, so he stood to the side.

Less than half an hour later, Yan Yun came running back: "Brother, someone is coming on the road."

"Who goes there?"

"Several elderly farmers were pushing wheelbarrows, probably taking their grain to the county to sell."

Li Zheng shook his head: "Let them pass."

After a while, Yan Yun came to report again, this time that a group of merchants had walked past with their goods.

Li Zheng still didn't make a move.

Then several more groups of people passed by, and Li Zheng let them pass each time.

Regardless of whether they were innocent or not, the heads of these ordinary passersby were simply not enough to secure a higher position in the village.

Ideally, it would be like in the Water Margin: you encounter two wicked constables leading a group of heroes passing by, and you, seeing injustice, shout out in protest, and the heroes you save immediately bow down in gratitude...

Li Zheng smiled helplessly, realizing he had been indulging in some wishful thinking.

Just then, Yan Yun ran back: "Brother, brother, more people are coming! Three bald men!"

"Oh?" Li Zheng's heart stirred, and he strode forward.

Looking into the distance, a robed monk on horseback was indeed seen approaching with two young monks.

Li Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly. Could the monks coming from the west be from Changfeng Temple?

Looking at Ma San beside him, he was already so shocked that he stammered:

"That's it! Pupupu..."

Li Zheng grinned menacingly.

It's such a coincidence that it was those wicked monks!

Good timing!