novelapdf Chapter 15 Conflict
Chapter 15 Conflict
Old Gao gave a forced smile, but didn't utter a single laugh.
"Trying to put on airs, sir?"
"It's no use!"
He's a scoundrel who doesn't need a good reputation; he only needs a bad one so that others will respect and fear him.
Boom!
He kicked the waterwheel again.
A flash of fire runes appeared in Yang Silang's mind, his strength increased by 20%, and he took a few steps back, but not by much, and his hands still firmly gripped the handlebars.
Old Gao was surprised—he thought he could kick the waterwheel over with one kick, or at the very least make that kid retreat half a zhang in a sorry state.
I never expected this kid to be so strong.
"You've got guts, kid!" Old Gao stepped forward and poked Yang Silang's chest with his finger. "This isn't over!"
"Just you wait!"
He strode forward, and his hairy henchman grinned menacingly at Yang Silang before they left.
Yang Silang watched the two figures leave, his eyes gleaming.
That shouldn't be the case.
Money shops make a profit from lending, and if they can't repay their debts, they'll resort to all sorts of despicable means. But once they do repay, they won't pester you relentlessly.
After all, there are rules to follow when making money illegally.
If such locals completely disregard the rules, they are undoubtedly playing with their money.
Is Gao Laodao deliberately trying to ambush me?
If he's just saying a few polite words to scare people, that's fine, but could this guy really be up to something bad?
Isn't he just a dog kept by the money lender?
Or has the dog found a new owner?
Looking at him and his henchmen, their clothes and appearance have improved significantly compared to before. I'm afraid they'll cause trouble in the future.
He pondered for a moment, then continued pushing the waterwheel forward.
Who cares? We'll deal with whatever comes our way. In the previous contest, I was a little weaker, but we were about the same.
What about twenty days later? What about two months later?
If this guy really has bad intentions, he can give away his own carrying pole to help someone ascend to heaven!
-
Half a month later.
The sun was high in the sky.
Several boats are docked at Yue'er Bay Wharf.
A group of porters were stepping over the gangplank and carrying loads of goods directly from the ship's hold; this time, they were carrying grain.
With unrest outside the prefecture, many people from various counties have settled in the prefectural city. With more people, there is not enough food, and the price of grain in the prefecture has already increased by 10% or 20%.
Wealthy merchants would purchase grain from other places and bring it to the mansion.
One by one, the porters, like ants, carried their loads and climbed up the steps into the mountain town. This time, they were carrying goods from the Bai family's old shop.
Yang Silang and several fellow villagers lined up in the queue, silently carrying their loads with their heads down.
Master Zhu led the way, followed by Yang Silang, then Xiong Shan, and then Li Erhu and Wang Daniu.
No one spoke. Carrying heavy loads up the steps was even more difficult than climbing a mountain. Each person was carrying at least a hundred pounds, but Master Zhu was carrying even more and heavier loads.
Maintaining a steady breathing rhythm is essential for long-distance travel. Otherwise, talking carelessly will disrupt your breathing and slow you down, potentially resulting in missing one or two trips a day, which translates to less money.
More importantly, some of the steps are so narrow that, including pedestrians going up and down, there is only enough space for one person to pass at a time for the porters.
If someone ahead slows down, the whole team slows down. So, it's not just about delaying one person's work, but it could affect the income of the entire team, so no one dares to break this taboo.
Furthermore, the skill levels of the porters varied.
When there are big jobs, the supervisors usually organize the teams and even take different routes to ensure that the workers, whether they are easy to work, easy to work, or hard to work, are fully mobilized to avoid idleness and earn more money.
Yang Silang wore a straw hat and straw sandals. He landed lightly and breathed evenly, not at all rapid. He could hear the heavy breathing of Xiong Shan and the others behind him.
Once the soft-leg stance is mastered, carrying a hundred pounds up stairs is no longer a problem.
After a while.
A segment of the group finally climbed these hundreds of steps.
"rest……"
At the leader's shout, everyone stepped aside, put down their loads, wiped their sweat, drank water, and took a break. Some of the weaker ones even sat down on the ground, panting heavily.
Yang Silang also drank water and rested, but he was more relaxed. Xiong Shan drank water in big gulps, while Li Erhu and Wang Daniu let out a long breath, looking somewhat tired.
Master Zhu looked at his fellow villagers and smiled.
"Sure, you guys are all strong."
"Shiro, Kumayama, have you two finished practicing your soft-leg stance training?"
Xiong Shan nodded slightly, a smug look on his face.
Wu Tou'er said that it would take a month to master the flat ground stance and another month to master the soft-foot stance, but he mastered it in just one and a half months, which was incredibly fast.
"However... there are others who are even faster than me..." He looked at Yang Silang and felt somewhat frustrated. When he was climbing the steps, Silang was right in front of him. Silang walked faster and more steadily, and his breathing was lighter than his own, which meant that the other party's stance was stronger than his.
If it weren't for the daily struggle to make a living, and the need to concentrate on practicing stances every day, I should be about as fast as Lao Si.
When asked, Yang Silang smiled and replied that it was about the same.
It's more than just about the same; he can carry 50 pounds on a single stance with ease, his basic strength has reached 120, and with the 20% boost, his strength alone is close to 150.
If Gao Laodao dares to block the road and kick the waterwheel again, he himself will likely be the one to fall.
Seeing that Li Erhu and Wang Daniu were somewhat dejected, Master Zhu smiled and comforted them, telling them not to lose heart. After all, it was just a simple technique, and as long as they got the hang of it, they could eventually master it with practice.
A few days earlier or later doesn't matter, the important thing is to eat well so that you don't end up like him, with your health failing when you get old.
Besides, among your group of people practicing stance training, the four of you are the fastest. I heard that the slowest one, Jiao Ada, is still stuck on the empty stance. While others are moving with lightning speed, he's crawling like a tortoise.
Li Erhu nodded in agreement.
Wang Daniu muttered dejectedly, "We use more medicinal oil than others, and we practice harder. If we still can't beat others, we might as well smash our heads against a block of tofu and die."
After resting for a while, the leader called out, "Let's go!"
The long line of porters crouched down, squeezed under the load, steadied themselves, and with a shout of "Hey!" they straightened up and stepped forward, heading towards the next set of steps.
Crunch... crunch... crunch...
The creaking of carrying poles echoed through the mountain town, like the most basic and primitive folk tune, reverberating through the bustling city.
This is a monotonous and tedious day for the porters.
After delivering several shipments, it was already afternoon when Yang Silang and his group returned to the dock and lined up to board the ship to pick up their goods.
Just then, a small boat carrying dozens of men was seen heading straight for the Moon Bay Wharf.
A springboard was erected.
These dozens of men rushed out, all wearing thick-padded gray vests with the words "Iron Lever" embroidered on them, and carrying bamboo carrying poles. It was clear at a glance that they were all porters.
Once the porters reached the shore, they seized their fellow members of the Sanshui Association and beat them up.
Chaos immediately erupted at Moon Bay Wharf.
A steward with a mustache dressed in fine silk stepped ashore from the ship and called out in a high-pitched voice, "Excuse me, everyone!"
The Porters' Guild is having some internal disputes. It's just a minor matter that won't affect anyone. Even if there are any losses, the Ironclad Guild will fully compensate you, so please rest assured.
Hearing that there was trouble at the dock, Song with slanted eyes ran out of the courtyard and saw the man with the mustache across the way. He was so angry that he started cursing.
"You're so unrefined, Lu!"
"Moon Bay was supposed to be the territory of the Sanshui Association, so what are you Tiegang Association doing interfering?"
The iron bar opposite him spat out a string of saliva.
"Bullshit! Back when the guilds divided up the territory, it was Sanjiang Jiashan City, and each guild got one river!"
"But this Moon Bay is where two rivers meet, how can it be considered your territory?"
"Let's settle this clearly today!"
"Beat them! The Ironclad Society is planting its flag at Moon Bay today!"
Slanted-eyed Song hurriedly ordered the porters in the guild to resist.
The division of territory between guilds is the result of negotiations and even a battle between the gangs behind the scenes. If the gangs are stable, the territory between guilds will also be stable.
If conflicts arise between gangs later on, a clash may break out, and the docks are often the first place to be attacked.
However, the Sanshui faction continued to suffer defeats.
The reason is simple: Tie Gang came prepared, selecting only strong and capable porters, including many tough guys who would fight in groups.
The incident happened suddenly. The porters of the Sanshui Association were still unloading goods in different directions, and some of their men were scattered on the roads transporting goods in the mountain city. Although it was their own territory, they were not outnumbered and were caught off guard once again.
Along the dock, the porters of the Sanshui Association seemed to be swept away by the flood, losing their way all the way. Occasionally, some of the more spirited ones would try to resist, but they were immediately knocked down by the combined force of several of the other side.
The porters from the Iron Bar Association showed no mercy, striking him repeatedly with their carrying poles.
Screams and roars filled the dock.
On the ground, the unfortunate man lay bleeding and groaning.