novelhk Page 35
Page 35
As for the ghost slave, Fu Junzhuo observed him all the way and only thought that he was a martial arts master with extremely high strength and Zhang Xiaoshan's personal bodyguard.
After all, the Central Plains is a place where hidden talents abound, with countless masters at the grandmaster level.
Jiange is similar to the suspended pavilions in the Central Plains. In front of it is a flower garden with exotic flowers and plants in full bloom. The surrounding pavilions are luxuriously decorated and elegantly laid out, full of the tranquility of a paradise.
Moreover, there are many pretty and graceful maids here, wearing silk stockings, walking gracefully on the clean and bright mahogany floor.
It can be said that Fu Cailin thoroughly enjoyed this experience.
After all, the three female disciples were all exceptionally beautiful, and there were over a hundred maids as well.
Chapter Forty-Eight: Fu Cailin Intends to Take on a Disciple
"Zhang Ziyu from Lin'an Prefecture of the Great Song Dynasty greets Senior Fu!"
Upon entering the hall, one is immediately struck by a middle-aged man in a brocade robe, exuding an extraordinary air.
Although his appearance is not flattering, to the point of being extremely ugly, his temperament is exceptionally outstanding.
At least Zhang Xiaoshan wouldn't find the other person ugly, or feel any sense of incongruity.
On either side were young girls who bore a striking resemblance to Fu Junzhuo, each tall and graceful, and also exceptionally beautiful, one in a million.
The three should be three sisters who are related by blood.
Similarly, at this moment, Fu Cailin and Fu Junyu were also sizing up Zhang Xiaoshan, a glint of light flashing in their bright eyes.
After breaking through the Pure Yang Limitless Skill, Zhang Xiaoshan's figure became even more slender and his temperament ethereal. Moreover, his originally somewhat rugged features became softer, making him exceptionally handsome.
"What a fine young master of the Han family!"
Her appearance and temperament were both excellent, and her humble yet confident attitude pleased Fu Cailin even more.
He is a model of a peerless gentleman.
"Zhang Ziyu from Lin'an Prefecture? Is that the Zhang family from the Red Mansion in Lin'an?"
"Exactly!"
Fu Cailin narrowed his eyes, and his gaze toward Zhang Xiaoshan gleamed with an inexplicable gleam.
He first learned about the Zhang family when he obtained soap and scented soap from them on the black market, which had always been his favorite items.
It cleanses the skin and leaves a pleasant fragrance.
The second instance was a month ago, when Silla merchants brought news from the Southern Song Dynasty, in which the Zhang family played a prominent role.
The opulent Red Mansion, the wildly popular desserts that have swept across the land, the unparalleled cuisine of the entire country...
Moreover, the Zhang family has an excellent reputation, and the young master Zhang in front of us was even bestowed the courtesy name Ziyu by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, making him a 'peerless national talent'.
"So it's Young Master Zhang!"
A month ago, the name of the young master had already reached Goryeo. Indeed, seeing is believing; what a fitting name 'Ziyu'!
Fu Junzhuo, Fu Junyu, and Fu Junqiang all had their beautiful eyes light up.
Unexpectedly, this handsome young man before me is also a great philanthropist and a person of impeccable character in the Central Plains of China.
"Senior Fu is too kind."
"Haha, I am extremely fond of the soaps sold by the Zhang family, so I am quite familiar with the Zhang family."
Young Master Zhang's virtue is more than just a compliment.
At the same time, Fu Junzhuo served a cup of fragrant tea.
The tea is a flower tea, brewed with hydrosols from a hundred flowers, and has a wonderfully fragrant aroma.
Add to that the beautiful woman pouring tea, her hands still fragrant, and you can truly appreciate the beauty of a hundred flowers in bloom.
"I heard that Young Master Zhang has come from the snowy plains. With your status, what brings you here?"
"Nothing serious, just heading to the far north to seek an answer!"
"Has the young master found the answer?"
"I found it, and it's the answer I wanted."
what is the answer?
It wasn't important to Fu Cailin, but he could sense that Zhang Xiaoshan would definitely go to the far north again, and it wouldn't be long.
"Then congratulations, young master!"
Fu Cailin was well-versed in Central Plains culture, and his chess skills were the pinnacle of the art of chess.
While Zhang Xiaoshan may not be very familiar with Confucian culture, his personal views were quite insightful for Fu Cailin.
Fu Junzhuo and her two daughters were native Koreans, and even though they were well-versed in Central Plains culture, they did not have Zhang Xiaoshan's 'level'.
On the contrary, in their discussions, they looked at Zhang Xiaoshan with new respect and treated him with special regard.
"Young master, have you ever practiced swordsmanship?"
Fu Cailin's question brought a bitter smile to Zhang Xiaoshan's face.
Undoubtedly, Fu Cailin had his eye on him.
Without even examining his own aptitude, he asks himself if he has ever practiced swordsmanship?
It should be noted that on the road, Zhang Xiaoshan had considered turning Fu Cailin into Ghost Slave Number Two more than once.
"I diligently practiced some fist and foot techniques and hard skills a few years ago, but as for weapons, I haven't even scratched the surface."
"profound?"
Fu Cailin looked at Zhang Xiaoshan. He knew that Zhang Xiaoshan must have a good foundation in internal strength to be able to enter and leave the far north, so that he would not be in a sorry state in the snowfield environment where the temperature was tens of degrees below zero.
Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan's otherworldly temperament also suggests that he has cultivated the orthodox cultivation methods of the Xuanmen sect.
But he didn't expect that Zhang Xiaoshan would focus on external martial arts.
You should know that external martial arts are all about burly men with bulging muscles.
Despite Zhang Xiaoshan's tall and gentle appearance, even with his master-level eyesight, he showed no signs of physical training.
Or rather, Zhang Xiaoshan's skills haven't even reached the basics.
"Young master's answer surprised me. I never expected that such a person would practice external martial arts."
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Senior Fu."
With a shy smile, the four people, unaware of his background, immediately mistook Zhang Xiaoshan for a wealthy young master who was not skilled in martial arts.
"What a pity! What a pity!"
···
Zhang Xiaoshan had no regrets about declining Fu Cailin's offer.
If one inherits the Yi Sword Technique, regardless of the master-disciple relationship, even the act of passing it on is a matter of personal favor, and there is absolutely no need for it.
The art of Yi swordsmanship emphasizes anticipating the enemy's moves.
But for someone of Zhang Xiaoshan's level, directly using internal force to enhance the forty-meter-long blade's aura would be impossible for his opponent to dodge.
Moreover, the spear is like a dragon, sweeping away everything in its path.
However, when Zhang Xiaoshan left the Goryeo capital, in addition to the ghost servant, he was accompanied by another beauty.
In addition to purchasing a batch of soaps on Fu Cailin's orders, Fu Junzhuo also had another important task—selecting candidates to practice the Longevity Formula.
On the way, Fu Junzhuo felt even more mysterious and curious about Zhang Xiaoshan.
Zhang Xiaoshan may look frail, but in reality, he had no time to rest except for eating and sleeping throughout the journey. Therefore, he was definitely not the 'unskilled in martial arts' they had previously imagined.
As for sitting down to admire the scenery along the way, Zhang Xiaoshan felt it was better to look at beautiful women.
Especially after Goryeo, there was Silla.
Zhang Xiaoshan's transit point this time was Japan, and the ferry crossing was located at the southernmost tip of Silla.
Even though the craze for 'Silla maids' had passed in the Central Plains, there were still many criminal gangs trafficking Silla maids, and these chosen Silla maids were naturally all beautiful and graceful.
"Young master, are you going to buy all the Silla maids here at once?"
The head of the human traffickers stared in disbelief at the incredibly wealthy young man before him.
It should be noted that there were over a hundred of these Silla maids, with the lowest-ranking maid costing at least 100 taels and the best maids costing over 1,000 taels, totaling 40,000 to 50,000 taels.
Therefore, he found it hard to believe that such a large deal was happening.
"This is a silver note worth ten thousand taels. I believe you should be able to tell if it's genuine or fake."
Upon arriving in Lin'an Prefecture, use this note as proof; the Zhang family will then naturally pay you the remaining balance.
A silver note worth ten thousand taels, and a receipt on a gold-leafed paper!
The human trafficker leader quickly nodded in agreement, knowing this was a rare opportunity.
After all, the Zhang family of Lin'an Prefecture is a well-known wealthy family in the whole country. Once you get on their good side, you'll never run out of money to make.
"Don't worry, Young Master Zhang, I will deliver these Silla maids safely and intact."
Chapter 49 First Hearing of Human Trafficking: The Yagyu Family
"Why is the young master buying so many Silla maids?"
He bought over a hundred Silla maids in one go. Although Fu Junzhuo hated this behavior, she couldn't understand Zhang Xiaoshan's purpose.
In particular, Zhang Xiaoshan's subsequent collaborations involve long-term human trafficking.
Although it had only been two or three days since they arrived, in Fu Junzhuo's beautiful eyes, Zhang Xiaoshan was not a villain.
"Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."
They've fallen into other people's hands, and I don't know what their fate will be. But I know I can give them a chance to work and earn money. They can regain their freedom after working in the Red Mansion for three years.
Furthermore, I support them finding a hardworking and reliable man from the Central Plains to marry and settle down there.
Fu Junzhuo looked at Zhang Xiaoshan in disbelief, gazing into his clear, unwavering eyes, and her heart trembled.
She never imagined that Zhang Xiaoshan, who seemed to be encouraging evil, actually had a kind heart.
This is a long-term partnership, and every year tens of thousands of taels of silver are spent to buy a large number of maids.
Finally, he only needed to work for three years to regain his freedom.
"Why don't you just release them, young master?"
First, there is no such thing as a free lunch;
Second, if I just release them, they will rush back to Silla overnight and then be captured again. Why would I bother?
Thirdly, I established a cooperative relationship with them. In their eyes, those Silla maids were nothing more than piles of silver, and they would never allow anything to happen to them.
"Young Master's consideration is very thorough!"
There would be no human trafficking if there were no buying and selling.
But the history of Silla maids has been passed down for thousands of years, and the flame that Zhang Xiaoshan fueled was just a single spark in the flame.
On the contrary, his willingness to save lives earned him special treatment from Fu Junzhuo, which can be described as ingenious.
Working in the Central Plains? Settling down?
Compared to being sold into slavery in Silla, life there was like heaven and earth; at least the Central Plains were prosperous, which is an undeniable fact.
The journey from Silla to Fusang takes about a day.
The reason Zhang Xiaoshan went to Japan instead of returning directly to the Central Plains was because he was interested in Japan's special products—gold and silver mines!
Moreover, Japan has a diverse range of forces and numerous powerful clans, making cooperation entirely possible.
Although the Zhang family is not a powerful force, they are not easy to deal with either.
The luxury goods owned by the Zhang family, in particular, were something that even nobles could only dream of.
If Zhang Xiaoshan were to find a partner in Koga or Iga, they would be a good ally, and could stir up trouble in Japan at any time.
Especially for Ghost Slaves No. 2 and No. 3, they could definitely find skilled Japanese ninjas.
"Miss Fu, you are a girl, how about trying this?"