leonardwarren Chapter 34 Reunion with Wang Ziteng
Chapter 34 Reunion with Wang Ziteng
As Zhang Yuan left the martial arts school, his emotions were in turmoil.
As soon as I turned into the entrance of Willow Alley, a small, thin figure came to greet me.
He was one of the little beggars Zhang Yuanjian saw yesterday.
"Young Master Zhang! Young Master Zhang! Found it! Found it!" The little beggar ran panting, but his face was full of excitement and a desire to take credit. He grabbed Zhang Yuan's clothes.
He lowered his voice and said urgently, "There's news about the Prince Teng you're looking for!"
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West of the city, Laolong Bay.
Amidst the broken walls and ruins, the damp, fishy smell of the river permeated the air.
Zhang Yuan rushed over following the sound, just in time to hear Xiao Yang anxiously explaining from the depths of a narrow alley: "Gentlemen, it's a misunderstanding! It's truly a misunderstanding! These brothers were specially arranged by Young Master Zhang Qingyang to search for someone; they have absolutely no malicious intent!"
Immediately following was the little beggar's tearful cry: "Yes! Young Master Zhang told us to find someone! Don't hurt our boss!"
"Bullshit!" A voice, hoarse with the distinctive characteristics of a young man but deliberately mimicking the ruthless tone of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) figure, rang out. "I don't know any Zhang Qingyang!"
"Whoever sent you, daring to tail me, tell me! What exactly do you want? If you don't explain clearly, I'll stab you in the back!"
Zhang Yuan was all too familiar with that voice!
It's Wang Ziteng!
In the chaos, Zhang Yuan had already rushed to the corner of the alley.
Three teenagers, barely out of their teens, stood with their backs against the broken wall, forming a defensive triangle. Each of them had weathered faces and their eyes were as wary as those of wounded wolf cubs.
The leader was more robust than I remembered, with several small scars on his face, and had lost some of his childishness, gaining a fierce air about him.
It was Wang Ziteng!
He held a gleaming dagger pressed tightly against Scarface's neck.
The blade had already pressed a line of blood into his skin, and Scarface turned deathly pale with fright, not daring to breathe.
Wang Ziteng's two henchmen also gripped their weapons tightly, staring fiercely at Xiao Yang and the surrounding beggars.
"Wang Ziteng!"
Zhang Yuan called out, his voice not loud, but it clearly pierced through the tension in the alley.
Wang Ziteng shuddered violently and suddenly looked up.
When he recognized Zhang Yuan, the ferocity in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by unbelievable elation. A wide grin spread across his face involuntarily: "Zhang Yuan?! You...you're not dead?! This...this is wonderful!"
He almost shouted it out, so excited he nearly jumped up.
But the next moment, as if he remembered something, he pressed the short knife down sharply again, and the scarred man groaned in pain.
Wang Ziteng shouted urgently to Zhang Yuan, "Zhang Yuan, you have to go! These people are lurking around and watching me suspiciously; someone is definitely plotting something behind this!"
"I've heard there's a guy named Zhang Qingyang who's incredibly ruthless; he's probably trying to harm me! You'd better leave, don't worry about me!"
Zhang Yuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart, followed by a pang of sorrow.
He met Wang Ziteng's worried gaze, stepped forward, ignored the sharp dagger, and said in a calm and clear voice: "Wang Ziteng, I am Zhang Qingyang."
Wang Ziteng's surprise and anxiety froze instantly, his eyes filled with immense confusion and bewilderment. His grip on the knife loosened slightly as he stared blankly at Zhang Yuan, as if he were seeing him for the first time.
"You? Zhang Qingyang?"
……
Streetside.
A simple but fairly clean little restaurant.
Xiao Yang directed the shopkeeper to pile several large plates of glistening braised pork and steaming white buns onto the large table in the corner.
Scarface and the other little beggars, along with Wang Ziteng's two equally hungry companions, were now engrossed in their ravenous eating, their mouths greasy and their cheeks bulging.
Xiao Yang looked at the "battlefield"-like scene with satisfaction, then turned and returned to the small table in the adjacent private room.
Zhang Yuan and Wang Ziteng sat facing each other at the table.
Xiao Yang smiled and said to Zhang Yuan, "Cousin, everything is arranged, there's plenty to go around."
Zhang Yuan nodded, his gaze falling on Wang Ziteng, and said sincerely, "Back in the Green Bamboo Gang days, if you hadn't saved your rations for me, if you hadn't led me to charge up the wooden stakes, I would have died of illness and hunger in that dilapidated house long ago."
His voice was low as he recalled that desperate situation where they shared life and death.
Xiao Yang, deeply moved, looked at the two young men who had survived such a life-or-death ordeal with a complex expression, and sighed softly from the bottom of his heart, "It's so good to have brothers who have shared life and death with you..."
Wang Ziteng chuckled, shook his head, grabbed a plump chicken leg in front of him, tore off a large chunk of meat, and stuffed it into his mouth. He grinned indistinctly as he chewed, "Hey, you little rascal...you're something else now!"
"The captain's son! Zhang Qingyang! The whole of Fengming County is buzzing about how you killed a bull with three punches, bare-handed! Amazing!"
His eyes gleamed with excitement, and his tone carried a mixture of genuine admiration and a hint of teasing.
Zhang Yuan looked at him, a rare smile appearing on his lips: "So, when you were in the alley earlier, you said you didn't know Zhang Qingyang?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Ziteng burst into laughter, wiping his mouth with his greasy hand. He then mimicked Master He's tone, speaking in a condescending manner, "Master He said, in the underworld, if you don't know, pretend you know; if you do, pretend you don't! Truth and falsehood, reality and illusion—survival comes first!"
A sly glint flashed in his eyes.
Xiao Yang, who was standing to the side, lit up with a thought and nodded thoughtfully, muttering to himself, "That makes sense... This kind of wisdom from the martial arts world is somewhat similar to my business philosophy."
The smile faded from Zhang Yuan's face. After a moment of silence, he lowered his voice and said, "Ziteng, do you know why you've come to Fengming County this time?"
Wang Ziteng slowed down his chewing, and the excitement in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by a seriousness that seemed out of place for his age.
He put down the chicken leg, paused for a moment, and said in a low voice, "The Green Bamboo Gang... has internal strife, and many people have died. The hall master... oh, now we should call him gang leader."
"Chief Zhao, along with Master He and the rest of us brothers, established the Guzhu Gang on the river. It only had about a hundred people at most, mostly remnants of defeated soldiers."
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of resolve and helplessness.
"If you want to gain a foothold and survive in this chaotic world, the only way is to accept the government's 'amnesty' and risk your life for this fortune."
"Master He said," Wang Ziteng raised his head, his eyes flashing with an almost cruel clarity, "this trip to Tanjialing to suppress the bandits is our 'trial by fire'."
"If we get through this, even if the Guzhu Gang gains a reputation in Fengming County, we'll still have a way to survive; if we don't... then we'll all die. Tomorrow, everyone has to go."
These words made Zhang Yuan's heart sink.
This is the most authentic world of martial arts, a bloody jungle law where there is no way out but to fight for your life.
His hands, which were under the table, clenched unconsciously.
Xiao Yang, who was standing to the side, was terrified. His face turned slightly pale. Looking at the two teenagers talking about life and death, he didn't dare to breathe loudly. He felt that his own rich and peaceful world was so far away from the scene before him.
Zhang Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed, a hint of barely perceptible pleading in his voice: "Ziteng... bandit suppression is a real battlefield. Those are blood-soaked, defeated soldiers, incredibly fierce. We... we're still too young. Could you... please not go on such a life-or-death mission?"
Wang Ziteng shook his head decisively, a resolute glint in his eyes and a hint of his own code of honor: "No. Master He treated me like a son, taught me martial arts, and saved my life."
"Boss Zhao also values me."
"They all have to fight for their lives, so I can't just cower in the back like a coward."
He looked at Zhang Yuan, forcing a smile that was both magnanimous and tinged with an indescribable complexity.
"Everyone has their own destiny, Zhang Yuan. You're lucky. You're now Zhang Qingyang, the son of a captain, with two powerful masters and a friend like this Young Master Xiao. Your future is limitless. This is a good thing, brother, I'm happy for you!"
He looked at Zhang Yuan, his voice soft but carrying a sense of relief: "From now on, you are Zhang Qingyang."
These words were like a formal farewell to "Zhang Yuan," the man who had relied on him for survival in the dilapidated house of the Green Bamboo Gang, and an acknowledgment and blessing of the brother before him with a completely different identity.
Zhang Yuan was shocked and wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Wang Ziteng.
With an almost tragic heroism in his eyes, the young man slapped the table: "Hey, what's all this talk about! Zhang Yuan... oh no, Qingyang! Got some wine? The rules in the gang are strict, I've never tasted real wine before! Today we brothers are reunited, I want to try it!"