Chapter 20 Mountain Fortress's Sixth Member_1

Chapter 20

As Li Gousheng left Frog Fort, followed by his eldest son leading a horse and his second son doing the same, he felt lightheaded and dazed, as if he were in a dream.

"Dad, are we dreaming or what? Did the bandits really let us take two horses?" asked Li Da.

"What bandits? They're gods, gods who took pity on us!" Li Gousheng let out a long sigh.

Li Da and Li Er nodded in agreement. A day of harvesting wheat had amounted to two loaves of vegetable bread swapped for two horses. This was something only a deity could make happen.

"Do gods... also harvest wheat?" pondered Li San, a young man who had a healthy skepticism for the world.

"What're you talking about, boy? Not only do gods harvest wheat, they also eat scallion pancakes at every meal!"

Hiss!

The three brothers gasped in surprise. These were indeed gods.

Upon their return to Li Family Village, the moment they tethered the horses in the courtyard, the whole village couldn't resist coming over to take a look.

"My, these are excellent 3-year-old horses, you must lend them to me when it's time for plowing!"

"Look at this black horse, it's not purchasable for less than twenty silvers, old Li, you sly wealthy man, you've managed to hide this quite well."

"Old Li, has your eldest got married yet? I once mentioned that I'd matchmake for you, but I forgot due to my busyness."

"Hmph." Li Gousheng held a large bowl of water, looking pleased with himself. "This is a blessing from the mountain god. I, old Li, never wronged anyone in my life."

Unable to resist the temptation of vanity, he shared the day's adventures. This boast could last him half a year in the village, as he insisted it was all a reward from the gods for his good deeds. Some villagers actually believed him. Li Gousheng's family, poor as they were, were known far and wide for their generosity. They never bullied anyone and, when selling firewood, never watered down their stacks.

Li Family Village had a wealthy man named Li Zhuang, who owned hundreds of acres of farmland, making him extraordinarily rich but also extraordinarily stingy. There were stories of him being such a scrooge that he drove villagers to sell their daughters or dismantle and sell their houses to pay their debts.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhuang couldn't help but consider his situation. Li Gousheng had three sons, just like him. The gods had allowed him four horses, but he'd only taken two; if that wasn't stupidity then what was it! If Li Zhuang himself were in such a situation, he would've demanded forty or fifty horses...

A wolf travels a thousand miles to eat its fill of meat, while a dog travels the same distance to eat excrement.

Thinking thus, Li Zhuang summoned his three sons abruptly that night...

...

Thanks to the assistance of Li Gousheng and his sons, the wheat harvest at Frog Fort was completed. The bundles of wheat, neatly stacked in the exercise yard, gave off a fresh aroma. They would later thresh and grind the wheat to collect the grains. But now, Frog Fort had horses...

Thinking of horses, Cheng Dalei couldn't help but grimace. If this continued, the horses in the stable would surely starve.

Lin Shaoyu came back in the evening, bringing along another person.

"Boss, someone wants to join us?"

"Who?" Cheng Dalei lifted his head. On seeing the person, he remarked: "Wait, it's you?"

It was none other than Huang Sanyuan.

Recently, Huang Sanyuan had led a particularly miserable life. After narrowly escaping death, he'd managed to return to Black Stone City, only to learn of Han Huju's death and Xue Banchuan's purge of Han's loyalists. Unsure if he would be considered one of those allies, but suspecting Xue Banchuan wouldn't spare him, he quietly packed a few belongings to flee to Falling Leaves City, only to be intercepted by Shaoyu, who was out on a bandit raid. Upon recognizing each other, with tears in their eyes, Shaoyu had suggested: "If you have nowhere to go, why not consider Frog Fort?"

After each tell their tales, Cheng Dalei asked, "So you're saying Xue Banchuan killed Han Huju and took over the city?"

"Definitely. However, he's spreading rumours in the city that your men killed Han Huju. He's even campaigning for revenge against you."

"What the hell; Frog Fort only has five people! How would we have the manpower to kill him!"

"But nobody knows that Frog Fort only has five people." Huang Sanyuan took a look around, "I didn't expect you guys to be so few either. As it stands, Xue Banchuan's spreading rumors that Frog Fort is a stronghold with a thousand bandits, all cold-blooded killers. The Frog King, whom he portrays as exceptionally brutal, is said to eat human flesh at every meal. Right now, he's even posting bounties in the city for your heads."

Cheng Dalei's eyes brightened. "How much is the reward?"

"The Frog King's head is worth fifty silvers, literate Xu Shenji's head is worth thirty-five silvers, and there's a guy with a black face..." Huang Sanyuan glanced at Qin Man, "Your head is worth thirty silvers!"

Bloody hell! Cheng Dalei didn't get angry when Xue Banchuan pinned a crime on him this time, but he was furious. "How dare Xue Banchuan underestimate me, offering a mere fifty silvers for my head!"

Indeed, Cheng Dalei lacked an understanding of this world's currency system. When Great Wu was established, it issued the Dragon Tiger Coin, also known as the copper coin. A thousand copper coins could be exchanged for a silver, similar to one thousand dollars in his past life. But in this era, an average farming household's annual living cost was around three to four silvers.

"Think Tank, how much is the bounty on Gao Feihu?"

"Rumour has it that it's one hundred eighty silvers." Xu Shenji did not understand why Cheng Dalei was asking this.

"I will surpass him." Cheng Dalei declared with certainty.

Watching Cheng Dalei, full of pride and confidence, Xu Shenji and the others were speechless. Did he think this was a good thing?!

"Boss, Steward Huang is sincere about joining us. Why don't we let him join Frog Fort?" Lin Shaoyu suggested.

Cheng Dalei's gaze fell on Huang Sanyuan as he perused his information in his mind.

Name: Huang Sanyuan (moderately famous, exceptional steward)

Age: 43

Skills: None

Hidden Attributes: None

Meanwhile, Huang Sanyuan was also surveying his surroundings. Judging by how everyone spoke to Cheng Dalei, he didn't seem as terrible as rumored. He surely... doesn't eat human flesh, right?

"Do you like Frog Fort?"

"Well... yes."

"What do you like about it?"

"Uh..." Huang Sanyuan was exasperated. I was just trying to be polite, and here you are, picking my brain. This is hurtful, you know.

"Your attitude clearly shows that you look down on our Frog Fort. We may have a small number of people, but each one of us has the power of a hundred men. Joining Frog Fort isn't as simple as you think. Since Lin Shaoyu has introduced you, write an application letter of 5,000 words on your own. After I've read it, I'll consider whether to accept you."

Xu Shenji nodded, "Boss Lei is really strict."

"Five thousand words?" Huang Sanyuan exclaimed. "Boss, you might as well take my life."

Cheng Dalei seemed to have a critical lack of understanding about the written language in this era. He had absolutely no idea how huge a document of 5,000 words was in an era known for verbosity…The full text of Tao Te Ching was only about 5,000 words.

"This clearly puts me in a difficult position. Try to think, what can you do to show your sincerity and what you can contribute to Frog Fort?" Cheng Dalei suggested calmly.

Huang Sanyuan pondered before suddenly saying, "Boss, I have a treasure map on me. Would presenting that prove my sincerity?"