Chapter 1768
Immortal Traces 6
None of those who spoke ill of Yan Song at the literary gathering that day made the list.
Among them were those who topped the local examination rankings, yet they didn't make the list. Why?
Leng Yubing's joy at being on the list vanished instantly, and she became depressed.
"This Yan Song..."
The name had barely left his lips when Liu Dong interrupted him, "Brother Leng, such a joyous occasion deserves a proper celebration."
Leng Yubing paused for a moment, then accepted Liu Tong's offer and was pulled away by Liu Tong.
Because of what happened with those people, Leng Yubing has been in a bad mood.
After attending the Deer Cry Banquet, Leng Yubing left the provincial capital.
Liu Dong and Lian Chengbi stayed a few more days.
Uncle Jin treats them so well, isn't it just because he wants to take advantage of their influence?
The two of them naturally wanted to repay the favor in some way.
Fortunately, Uncle Jin was not an arrogant person. He was only using the situation to prevent others from bullying them, not to bully others.
Otherwise, the two of them wouldn't have stood up for him.
When the two returned to their hometown, Jin Buhuan went with them and continued to run errands for them.
Back home, even the eldest brother and Liu's mother were so happy that they held another banquet.
Following Liu Dong's suggestion, Lian Chengbi went to find his elder brother Lian and had a serious talk with him.
Lian Chengbi: "Brother, the family business is already enough for our expenses. There are some things we should stop doing. If people find out that I have a brother who is a notorious bandit, it will affect my future."
The eldest brother naturally didn't want to ruin his younger brother's future.
Their family's current social standing is entirely thanks to their younger brother.
Moreover, no matter how prestigious a bandit family may be, it can't compare to the reputation of an official family!
Even the eldest brother hesitated: "But what about those brothers who have followed me for so many years?"
Lian Chengbi had already come up with a solution: "Let's open a security escort agency, and then we can all do normal business."
After thinking about it, Brother Lian thought it was a good idea and agreed.
He consulted with his brothers who had always followed him, and they all agreed.
In fact, if there were legitimate sources of income, who would want to become a robber or bandit?
If you were caught by the soldiers, you would be beheaded.
Don't be fooled by the impressive title of "outlaw hero." In reality, given the choice, not many people would want to be an outlaw hero.
With his extensive network of connections and the backing of two scholars, Brother Lian's security escort agency was quickly established.
The Lian family was quite famous among the outlaws, so even the most notorious bandits gave Brother Lian face and wouldn't rob the caravans his family was escorting when they passed by.
This satisfied the clients of the escort agency, who felt that the Lian Family Escort Agency was capable and could provide them with a sense of security. The next time they had important goods, they would still choose the Lian Family Escort Agency for protection.
As a result, the Lian Family Escort Agency's business flourished.
Even the eldest brother was generous; he shared most of his earnings with the brothers in the escort agency.
These brothers were all beaming with joy.
Although bodyguards earn less money than robbers and thieves, it's a steady, long-term income.
They do bandit business, only once or twice a year; while bodyguards do it year-round.
The income from a single escort mission is small, but if you add up the earnings from multiple missions, the amount of money you can make in a year can be more than what you would earn from robbery or theft.
And this is legitimate income.
The bodyguards were completely devoted to the escort agency, treating it as their own business.
Their lives and incomes are stable, and they have established their careers, so they start thinking about starting a family.
They all have decent incomes and are quite popular in the marriage market.
Matchmakers came to their door, and within two years, they all got married and had children.
Other outlaws, seeing their lives, were filled with envy. So, other outlaws came to the镖局 (security escort agency) to apply for jobs.
Brother Lian accepted the man.
As a result, the number of people in the escort agency increased, and even the eldest brother divided the people into several groups and opened escort agencies in the prefectural city and the provincial capital.
Then it expanded to neighboring provinces and eventually to the entire territory of the Ming Dynasty.
Even the eldest brother was so happy that he could wake up laughing in his sleep.
He was unaware that his fate had already changed.
In the original storyline, when Brother Lian and others were robbing, they were captured by the government. Lian Chengbi went to break them out of prison, but the government issued a warrant for his arrest.
Lian Chengbi fled to Jin Buhuan's house, but was betrayed by Jin Buhuan's wife, who reported him to the authorities.
Lian Chengbi and Jin Buhuan could only flee for their lives.
Jin Buhuan had the misfortune of seeing a widow on the street and wanting to marry her and settle down, but he fell into a honey trap and was swindled out of all his money.
He then saw through the illusions of the world and joined Leng Yubing's tutelage to begin his Taoist practice.
Brother Lian eventually died at the hands of government soldiers.
The arrival of the Immaculate Young Master Lian changed his own fate, and then Liu Dong, who knew the plot, changed the fate of Brother Lian as well.
Brother Lian won't die; he'll live a peaceful and stable life until he's old.
The plot has been completely overturned. I wonder if Jin Buhuan will still become a monk, or if he will become Leng Yubing's disciple.
But Liu Dong was certain that Lian Chengbi would never become Leng Yubing's disciple.
Given Master Lian's arrogance, how could he possibly accept someone who is already considered a friend as his master?
We're clearly friends of the same generation, so why should I be inferior to someone else?
Even if Leng Yubing becomes a deity, the manor lord will no longer take him as his master.
Moreover, even the manor lord has now embarked on the path of cultivation.
Perhaps, one day, even the manor lord will be able to become an immortal through his own power.
Liu Dong: Absolutely!
He had studied the gods of this world and found that the energy of this world was not high. Even if there were gods, their strength was very low, far inferior to the gods of a fantasy world he had previously traveled to.
The cultivation technique that Liu Dong passed on to Lian Chengbi came from that fantasy world and could allow people to cultivate from mortals to celestial beings.
If the celestial beings from that world were placed in this world, they would absolutely be able to annihilate all the gods.
Liu Tong and Lian Chengbi left their hometown once again, this time heading to the capital to participate in the imperial examination.
The two brought a lot of money with them this time, and since the inn was full, they bought a small courtyard instead.
In their spare time, the two would attend literary gatherings at home, hoping to meet Leng Yubing at one of these gatherings.
Since they parted ways in the provincial capital, they had not seen Leng Yubing again. They figured that since Leng Yubing was going to take the imperial examination, she should also participate in the literary gathering.
However, they did not see Leng Yubing at any of the literary gatherings.
The two met with one of Leng Yubing's fellow villagers and inquired about information from him.
A fellow villager said, "Brother Leng is highly regarded by a nobleman and is now living in his mansion."
Lian Chengbi: "A distinguished person?"
Fellow townsman: "Lord Yan of the capital."
Lian Chengbi stared in astonishment.
Leng Yubing disliked Yan Song, that powerful minister, so why did she end up living in Yan's house?
A fellow villager offered guidance.
It turned out that someone had recommended Leng Yubing to Yan Song, saying that he was very talented, especially good at handling documents, so he invited him to join the party.
Although Leng Yubing disliked Yan Song, she wasn't a fool. For the sake of her family, she couldn't refuse Yan Song and had no choice but to stay in the Yan family. (End of Chapter)