Newborn 1927

Xu Zishan came to Zhao Family Village to make money, and naturally didn't want to leave empty-handed. Now that Qinglong Village had beaten him to it, so be it; he wasn't unfamiliar with double-crossing. Xu Zishan was an old hand; to take down his opponent, he first needed to understand their strength. So, Xu Zishan said, "Even if you've taken some money, it's your due. I wonder how many heroes Qinglong Village has brought? Could you introduce me? So I can show you some hospitality." Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "This man beside me is Brother Yan, a capable henchman of Chief Chu, known as the Living Yama." Yan Donglai clasped his hands and said, "Greetings, Master Xu." Xu Zishan frowned and said, "I've heard that Black Widow's capable henchmen are Dragon, Tiger, Leopard, and Wolf. The Living Yama? I've never heard of him." Yang Jiefang praised, "Master Shan is indeed knowledgeable! But those men are not my..." "They're too easy to deal with, so we didn't let them participate in this operation." Xu Zishan was even more puzzled. Yang Jiefang explained in a low voice, "It's a private matter, but it's alright to say it. You should know that Chief Chu has a daughter, who is about sixteen years old. She's very beautiful... well, her nose is a nose, and her eyes are eyes. Everyone in the stronghold with some ability has their eyes on her. I'm not very talented, but I happened to be chosen by Chief Chu to be his son-in-law. That's why I have some grudges with those people." Xu Zishan exclaimed, "You're the Black Widow's son-in-law!" He couldn't help but scrutinize Yang Jiefang again.

Yang Jiefang smiled calmly. Xu Zishan was unsure. If it were an insignificant person, he could have done it without fear; the Black Widow probably wouldn't have turned against him. But if he had offended her son-in-law, things were different. Xu Zishan's eyes darted around, and he said, "This Zhao Jinyuan really has the guts to offend the Black Widow's son-in-law!" Yang Jiefang explained, "I was originally from Zhao Family Village. Zhao Jinyuan, relying on his family's wealth and power, caused my family's ruin and death, forcing me to join Qinglong Village. This time, my revenge wasn't solely due to the strength of Qinglong Village; the people of Zhao Family Village assisted me greatly. Therefore, from now on, Zhao Family Village will be under the protection of Qinglong Village. Master Shan, this is your territory; please take care of me as a fellow traveler!" He then bowed deeply again.

Xu Zishan was completely flustered. Despite Yang Jiefang's seemingly humble demeanor, he was cunning and controlled the situation from beginning to end, never treating Xu Zishan as a threat, seemingly certain that Xu Zishan wouldn't dare to retaliate. Xu Zishan was unwilling to back down, yet dared not act rashly, so he said, "No problem, no problem. I'm fine, but my men are all roughnecks. If I don't teach them a lesson… hehe, I'm afraid some fools might come and cause trouble, and then I won't be able to explain it to Black Widow." He had to prove himself. If he didn't show off his skills today, he probably wouldn't be able to intimidate Xu Zishan. Yang Jiefang smiled slightly and winked at Yan Donglai.

Yan Donglai, listening intently, understood the situation. He looked around and spotted a piece of tile about the width of a hand. He picked it up and shouted, "Sai Li Guang, watch closely! Master Shan wants to hear a sound!" He then shook the tile in his hand and flung it away. A gunshot rang out, and the tile shattered in mid-air. This astonished Xu Zishan and his men. They couldn't possibly hit a flying tile with a single shot from 300 meters away. Yang Jiefang was also secretly surprised. He had initially thought the nickname "Sai Li Guang" was just a self-aggrandizing boast, but it turned out he actually had the talent—a born sniper!

Xu Zishan couldn't help but praise, "Excellent marksmanship! Brother Yang, you must be quite capable to have been chosen by Black Widow. Why don't you show us your skills and impress my brothers?" Yan Donglai's heart skipped a beat; just as he feared, this happened. He was about to change the subject when Yang Jiefang laughed, "Please enlighten me, Master Xu!" Xu Zishan said, "Bullets are precious, so let's skip the gunfight. I have a wild boy in my men who loves playing with knives; he's too arrogant. Why don't you teach him a lesson? Let him know how powerful Black Widow's son-in-law and the future leader of Qinglong Village really is." Yang Jiefang gestured for him to follow. Xu Zishan turned and waved, calling out, "Zheng Sandao, come here!" A burly man wielding a large knife quickly stepped out from the crowd. Xu Zishan pointed at Yang Jiefang and said, "You come and learn a few moves from him. He's the son-in-law of the chief of Qinglong Village, so you'd better be careful!" Zheng Sandao, however, looked arrogant and said, "I, Zheng Sandao, can injure someone with three strikes, so you'd better be careful! If you're scared, then admit defeat."

Yang Jiefang had learned military combat, grappling, and bayonet fighting under the guidance of his father and grandfather since childhood. These were genuine skills honed through countless battles; any one of them could easily defeat these street fighters. However, his physical condition was simply too poor; his strength and speed were lacking, so he could only try to improve his technique. Yang Jiefang looked around and found some sticks used for building vegetable trellises not far away. He selected a straight wooden stick of moderate thickness and about the height of a person, saying, "I don't have any weapons on me, so I'll use this as a gun." Then, he shifted his body, assuming a standard half-squatting horse stance with his gun held at an angle.

Yang Jiefang, who had been all smiles and refined manners, suddenly changed his demeanor with this stance. Zheng Sandao, holding his broadsword, was somewhat stunned. Yang Jiefang, however, struck first, pushing off with his right foot and stepping forward with his left, thrusting a spear at Zheng Sandao's chest. Caught off guard and unable to dodge, Zheng Sandao staggered backward, a sharp pain shooting through his chest. Yan Donglai, seeing him defeat his opponent in one move, couldn't help but secretly praise him, his face beaming with joy. Xu Zishan, however, turned pale. As for Zheng Sandao, compared to the pain in his chest, the shame on his face was even more unbearable. He angrily shouted, "I wasn't ready! How dare you launch a sneak attack?" Yang Jiefang laughed, "Then this doesn't count. You attack, I'll defend." He remained in a half-squatting horse stance, holding his spear at an angle.

Zheng Sandao rubbed his aching chest with his left hand, then swung his right hand in a diagonal slash. Yang Jiefang pulled down with his left hand, pushed forward with his right, and twisted his body to the left. With a 'crack,' his broadsword struck the wooden stick, penetrating more than a centimeter, but Zheng Sandao's left-side strike was blocked. Yang Jiefang's movements didn't stop there. After twisting his body to the left, he stepped forward with his right foot and thrust the end of the wooden stick fiercely into Zheng Sandao's head. Zheng Sandao's strike was still in progress, and he had no chance to dodge. He hurriedly used his left hand to protect his head and face. The stick struck Zheng Sandao's left arm, and Zheng Sandao staggered back in pain. Yang Jiefang, having gained the upper hand, didn't give an inch, turning around and thrusting again, this time into Zheng Sandao's chest.

The exchange happened in an instant; Yang Jiefang's movements were swift and decisive, without any hesitation. Even Xu Zishan and Yan Donglai, who were close by, couldn't fully grasp what was happening. Those further away were even less clear-headed, expecting a battle that would last for dozens of rounds, only to find the outcome decided in just a few moves. Yang Jiefang struck Zheng Sandao in the chest twice in succession; thankfully, it was a wooden stick; had it been a spear, he would have been bleeding profusely. Zheng Sandao could no longer find an excuse to back down. He glanced at Xu Zishan, waiting for his signal. Xu Zishan knew Zheng Sandao's momentum had waned and further action would be futile, so he said, "Brother Yang is indeed quite skilled. Zheng Sandao, you'd better practice hard when you get back." This was an admission of defeat. Zheng Sandao bowed and retreated with his head bowed. Yang Jiefang also threw away the wooden stick in his hand.

Xu Zishan, however, refused to admit defeat and retreat. He had secretly observed the situation carefully and realized that while Zhao Family Village had a considerable number of men, they didn't have many guns. He knew that Qinglong Village hadn't sent many people, and he was confident he could handle them. He wasn't worried about Zhao Family Village setting up an ambush, because now was the time for both sides to flex their muscles, and ambushes wouldn't be very effective. So, Xu Zishan said, "Today we've met another young talent. My two hundred-odd brothers have made a wasted trip. Since Zhao Family Village is under Qinglong Village's protection, we'll avoid it from now on."

Yang Jiefang replied, "I didn't prepare in advance today, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to entertain you all properly, so I won't invite you into the village. But I can't let you all come for nothing!" He turned around and called out, "Brother Monkey, bring the gifts I prepared to Master Xu." Hou Fei agreed and came running over with a wooden tray. Yang Jiefang said apologetically, "Zhao Jinyuan's money has all been divided up, so I'm embarrassed to ask the villagers for it back. These two hundred silver dollars are what I secretly kept, so I'm giving them to Master Xu. Please have a drink with the brothers!" Xu Zishan frowned and said, "How can I accept this? Please take it back." His refusal to accept it meant he thought it was too little. Yang Jiefang said, "I know this amount of silver dollars is nothing; it's really all I have. I didn't think things through when I sneaked back to seek revenge, and I didn't prepare any gifts. Once I return to Qinglong Village and ask the chief, I will definitely make it up to Master Xu. Chief Xu, we are all like-minded people; we should help each other in the future!" Xu Zishan slowly relaxed his brows and said helplessly, "Then I won't be so formal. If you need anything in the future, just let me know, and I'll definitely help if I can." Then he waved his hand, and a man jogged over and, at Xu Zishan's signal, took the silver dollars from Hou Fei's hand.

Yang Jiefang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, having weathered this ordeal. Xu Zishan looked up and said, "It's getting late, we should head back. Brother Yang, that's enough for today. We'll have to have a good drink next time." He turned to leave, but Yang Jiefang called out, "Uncle Xu, wait a minute!" Xu Zishan turned around, looking puzzled. Yan Donglai and Hou Fei also stared at Yang Jiefang in confusion.

Yang Jiefang said frankly, "Uncle Xu, you're older than me, so I'll take the liberty of calling you Brother Xu. Brother Xu, would you like to do a big business deal?" Xu Zishan replied, "My brothers are barely able to eat, how can we be picky? Whether it's a big deal or a small deal, as long as it works, I'm willing to do it." Yang Jiefang said, "That's good. Look at you, you have over two hundred men and about a hundred guns; our Qinglong Village has even more men, about three hundred guns; plus your sworn brother, Master Tian's, men. This force is no weaker than the city's garrison. Why are they living the high life in the city while we're stuck hiding in this remote mountain village?" Xu Zishan instantly understood and exclaimed, "You want to take over the county town?" Yang Jiefang smiled without saying a word. Xu Zishan took a deep breath; he was truly a young calf unafraid of tigers! He wanted to refuse, but couldn't help thinking about it, and then hesitated to refuse directly, asking doubtfully, "Will this work?"

Yang Jiefang said with conviction, “These chaotic times are the perfect opportunity for heroes like Brother Xu to achieve great things and make a name for themselves in history. Zhang Zongchang also came from humble beginnings, yet he became a provincial governor. We are no less capable than him. As long as we dare to fight and strive, how can we not succeed? You must know that in this world, three parts are destined by fate, and seven parts depend on hard work. Only those who dare to fight will win. If you don't dare to fight, what's the point of being out here? You might as well go home and play the fool.” Xu Zishan retorted angrily, “It's not that I don't dare to fight, but everything needs a plan, right? Such a big matter needs to be considered carefully before it can proceed.” Yang Jiefang agreed, “This is just a suggestion; whether it works or not depends entirely on Brother Xu's wishes. It's almost the New Year; if Brother Xu meets with Master Tian, ​​he might as well mention this matter to him. If you're interested, we can discuss it further. If you're not willing to work together, then we, Qinglong Village, will do it ourselves. And if we go to the city and eat meat, don't be envious!”

Xu Zishan countered, "Do you really have the final say in Qinglong Village?" Yang Jiefang chuckled, "Brother Xu, are you still doubting my identity? Although I'm not the chief yet, I can still make decisions on this." Xu Zishan now truly believed he was Black Widow's son-in-law, so he nodded and said, "I'm going to catch up with Brother Tian in a couple of days, and I'll mention it then. We're sworn brothers, so if we're going to do something, we'll do it together. If he doesn't agree, I can't do it either." Yang Jiefang exclaimed happily, "That's perfect! If it's convenient, please come to Qinglong Village for a visit!" Xu Zishan agreed, took his leave, and left.